Xpansion Code Radio

Business Growing Pains

Contributors: www.entrepreneur.com , Samuel Edwards, The 9 Growing Pains Entrepreneurs Need to Overcome

1. Getting overwhelmed by growth

For entrepreneurs with successful ideas or startups, there’s always pressure to grow and expand: It’s just the mindset of 21st century entrepreneurs. You come up with an idea, you launch it, and you grow it. Most entrepreneurs want the biggest enterprise they can build -- and they want it as quickly as possible.

While there’s nothing wrong with growth, you have to be careful with how and when you pursue it. As Entrepreneur.com contributor Robert Kiyosaki writes, “Just because you’re successful building a small business doesn’t mean you’ll be successful building a big business.” In other words, some entrepreneurs and businesses are better suited for smaller scale operation.

Every entrepreneur will eventually have to deal with the growing pains of expansion, and it’s up to you to determine whether or not it’s the right time to push forward. How you deal with this growing pain may determine the future success of your business.

2. Learning to say no

Saying no isn’t natural for most people. Humans are innately born with a desire to satisfy others. We prefer to say yes. However, successful entrepreneurs have to love the word “no.” In fact, you’ll need to say no more than you say yes.

You may never get to a point where you’re comfortable saying no, but you have to do it anyways. Otherwise, you’ll end up compromising your business at the expense of making people happy. It’s an uncomfortable growing pain but one that must be dealt with, nonetheless.

3.Transforming into a leader

There is a big difference between being an owner and a leader. A business owner looks at things through a black and white lens. Numbers have to add up, spreadsheets must be organized, and people are nothing more than assets. A leader, on the other hand, must have both business intelligence and emotional intelligence.

A leader cares about employees, takes their interests and suggestions to heart and makes decisions that benefit employees, customers, and the business.

4. Creating a focused vision

Along with that need to become a leader comes the demand for a focused vision. “This is a meaningful vision that you write down and which represents the highest agreement among all the people involved in the new venture,” writes Ken Blanchard, entrepreneur, and best-selling author. “It’s where you and the founders of the organization declare who you are, what you’re up to and why it matters.”

While it sounds neat and easy on paper, creating a focused vision is far from easy. If multiple founders are involved, it’s tremendously difficult to get everyone on the same page.

5. Trimming costs and developing a lean environment

Once your startup begins to grow, you have to find a way to trim costs and develop a lean environment that takes expenses and profit margin seriously. It’s never easy to make changes when something is already "working," but you will have to if you want your business to experience long-term growth.

6. Hiring the right people

Most entrepreneurs start the hiring process with people they either personally know or have some sort of direct connection to. It’s the easiest, fastest and cheapest place to start. However, every successful startup hits a point where convenience is no longer preferred over quality. Once you come to this phase, you need to start seriously looking at your hiring processes and how you acquire talent.

There are plenty of schools of thought when it comes to hiring talent for startups, but the following three insights are all you really need to pass this growing pain.

Always start by gauging the interest of anyone you’re interviewing. Are they as interested in you as you are in them?

Hire based on potential, not past experiences. While experience does matter, you’re looking to move forward -- not boast about the past.

Always share your vision with potential hires to gauge how they connect with it.

If you can get these three things right, you’ll be able to hire and retain top-level talent as your startup enters periods of growth.

7. Learning when to delegate

Most entrepreneurs like to be in control. It sort of comes naturally with the label. And while control is necessary in the beginning stages, there comes a point where delegating becomes a priority. It may feel weird, uncomfortable, and out of place, but you have to make the transition from doing everything yourself to letting others -- whom you trust -- take on important tasks and responsibilities. If you get the hiring process right, you shouldn’t have any issues.

8. Willingness to pivot

There’s usually one major difference (among many minor ones) between experienced entrepreneurs and those with their first startup. Experienced entrepreneurs understand that the first idea isn’t always the best idea. In other words, you must be willing to pivot when your initial idea or concept doesn’t work like it should.

This is one of the more painful growing pains an entrepreneur experiences but also the most critical. It doesn’t feel good to give up on your idea, so you have to look at it in a different light. Instead of viewing it as "giving up," look at it like you’re transitioning. You’re using experiences that you’ve gathered to make an educated shift that will better benefit your business in the years to come.

9. Managing the work-life balance

How do you handle personal responsibilities on the home front while also giving your undivided focus to the financial success of your business?

Surprisingly, it’s this growing pain that hurts a lot of otherwise successful entrepreneurs. This one has a way of sneaking up on you until it’s too late. By setting priorities and staying organized, you can manage this balance and give both the attention they deserve.

Growing pains do one of two things to entrepreneurs. They either overwhelm them and cause them to give up, back down or alter their vision or teach them new lessons and allow them to better understand their business or industry. It’s sort of like the “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” mantra. Anything that makes you uncomfortable and forces you to grow is productive in the long run.

I am inviting you to check out my resources page. It is completely FREE and has a ton information and some downloads. You can find it at resources.xpansioncode.com.

I will be releasing new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday!

If you like this podcast, then check out my newsletter called Xpansion Press. Business content delivered to your inbox. Just click here to sign up.

The 9 Growing Pains Entrepreneurs Need to Overcome.

Contributors: www.entrepreneur.com & Samuel Edwards

Self-Motivation

What is motivation? Motivation is the desire to act in service of a goal.

What is self-motivation? Self-motivation is driven by one's own desires and ambitions in service of a goal.

There is a 5-question process of achieving your goal that will help keep you motivated.

Question 1: What is the purpose of the goal? This is the why question that has to be answered first. You have to know why you want to accomplish this goal in the first place.

Question 2: What is your desire level about the goal? On a scale of 0 to 10, what is your desire level. Zero meaning I don’t want to do the goal and ten meaning I have a burn desire to accomplish it, and nothing will stand in my way.

• If you are not at an eight or higher then you are not ready to start the goal.
• You have to have a burning desire to accomplish your goals.

Question 3: How do I keep focused on the goal? You have to carve out time in your schedule and dedicate it to your goal. With a burn desire, this is normally the easy part. The key is to not get distracted during the dedicated time slot in your schedule. Don’t let anything get in your way during this time. You have to make a promise to yourself to stay on task.

Question 4: How big is the goal? Most goals have to be broken down into bite size pieces. Anyone can wrap their head around a small piece of the goal. Take the time to break the goal down. The smaller the pieces the faster you will be able to move.

Question 5: How do I Build momentum? When you accomplish one small piece of the goal move directly to the next piece and so on and so on. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and will motivate you to do the next piece. Be sure to give yourself small rewards for your achievements. This will reenforce your desire to keep moving forward.

NOW JUST DO IT!

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13 Steps to Stop Making Excuses

#1. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

When you compare yourself to other people, especially those who have already achieved what you want to achieve, you’re focusing on your weaknesses rather than your strengths. This probably makes you feel defeated and hopeless if you see a big gap between where you are today and where they are.

For example, let’s say you’re setting out to learn a new language and you want to get some practice by speaking with someone else who has also learned that language as a second language. However, they’re fluent and are able to speak quickly without thinking about what comes next. While this may seem intimidating to you, you have to remember that they were once in the position you’re in now. They are just at a different stage in the learning process.

In other situations, the truth is that other people could be comparing themselves to you and you don’t even realize it. It’s important to remember to never make assumptions when it comes to what other people are thinking or what their true experience is.

If you are making an excuse to not try something new because you are comparing yourself to others who are experts in the field, remember that they once stood in your shoes and were able to get where they are today.

Action Step: Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, focus on your strengths and adopt a mindset of gratitude. Being grateful for the opportunities that are available to you to help you grow will start to improve the way you feel about yourself. If you get stuck on how to be more thankful for what you have, then try this 30-day gratitude challenge.

#2. Stop Fearing the Unknown

People tend to be wary of taking risks that could disrupt their current reality, and are often opposed to making even the smallest change to the comfort of their daily behaviors, even if their current actions aren’t in their best interest. 

A simple example of this is that people are often slow to try new hobbies because it disrupts their normal routine.  On a bigger scale, people hesitate to make career changes because they’re afraid that the outcome won’t be worth the risk, and staying in their current situation is the easy choice.

Sure, things may go wrong. But, things may also go very right. The unknown can be scary, but that doesn’t mean that it is necessarily bad.

So many good things can come into your life from the risks you take in areas that are unknown to you. Don’t just assume that anything that is unknown to you is going to turn out to be a negative thing.

Action Step: Get used to stepping into the unknown by doing it more often. Break up your daily routine by taking a different route to work or going to a new exercise class. Preventing yourself from falling into a strict routine in the first place or disconnecting from your internal auto-pilot will help you welcome the unknown rather than fear it.

#3. Stop Blaming Others

One of the most destructive things you can do in life is to play the blame game. It is the basis for a considerable amount of frustration and unhappiness in people's lives.

The blame game entails blaming someone else for something that happened to you that was undesirable and staying convinced that it was someone else's fault instead of being proactive and making the necessary changes to resolve a situation. This often stems from irrational thinking and is not healthy for you or for the person you are blaming.

People also tend to blame outside circumstances or conditions for their downfalls. For example, have you ever heard someone complain that they’re not making enough money and then blame it on the current state of the economy? Doing this takes away a sense of personal responsibility for something that person wants to change about their lives.

Action Step: Take ownership of your life and recognize when you’re blaming others. Exercise the authority you have over your life by taking charge of anything that is within your control.

#4. Take Responsibility For ALL Your Actions

Being responsible requires acting on your ability to respond to things that happen. It involves using your power to change and to offer the most practical responses to life’s everyday problems.

There are two components of taking responsibility. One is accepting personal responsibility and the other is accepting indirect responsibility.

Taking personal responsibility refers to taking ownership of your own actions and their consequences. If you haven’t gone to the gym in a year, yet you’re trying to get healthier, it wasn’t a time constraint that was holding you back. Take ownership of the control you have over your actions and ability to make decisions and set your own priorities. If you are unable to accept responsibility for your actions or mistakes, it is very hard to gain the respect of other people.

Indirect responsibility involves moving beyond yourself to take necessary action to help other people. Let’s say you found someone’s wallet in the parking lot. While you may think that is someone else’s problem and it has nothing to do with you, accepting indirect responsibility would urge you to take action and try to contact the owner. Having this type of responsibility reveals a factor of your character that shows you don’t make excuses when faced with a task.

Action Step: We can’t change some of life’s circumstances or how other people behave towards us, but we can control our responses to these things to change an outcome. Taking responsibility also requires changing your mindset. This may sound cheesy, but reciting to yourself, “If it is to be, it is up to me” is simple to remember and will remind you that you’re responsible for doing anything that you’re able to do if there is a need. (Read this post to learn more about accountability and responsibility.)

#5. Take Action Every Day

Part of taking action is taking risks. You may have big plans that sound great in theory, but you never plan on actually following through with them. Stop making excuses and take the action that is needed to achieve the goals you want in life and create success for yourself. One of the first things you have to do to eliminate your excuses is to take that first step.

Have you been avoiding the gym because of “time”? Dedicate specific blocks in your schedule for the gym and get dressed and go. You have to act on your intentions to stop even entertaining the idea of coming up with an excuse.

Action Step: Recognize that the first step will be the hardest. You’re the only person who can make it happen, though. Act on it. So challenge yourself to do at least one thing every day for each of your goals.

#6. Set Small, Attainable Goals

Setting large goals may seem so overwhelming that you don't even know where to start. Further, you may start working towards your long-term goal and find that you’re not getting anywhere fast and give up. (Sidenote: Here are some songs about not giving up giving you some inspiration!)

Instead, break down your ultimate goal into many smaller goals that are attainable so you can make progress that you can actually see. Every time you meet one of these smaller goals, you will be more motivated to continue on toward your ultimate goal. (Don't underestimate the power of small wins!)

For example, let's say you aren't much of a runner, but you want to run a marathon. You may start out by running one mile and then think that running 26.2 miles is an unattainable goal and you should just quit. Rather than starting with the ultimate goal of running a marathon, start with aiming to complete a 5k.

This is an attainable goal for someone who does not have a lot of running experience. Once that goal is complete, move up to a 10k. Keep increasing this goal until you reach your ultimate goal of finishing a marathon.

Action Step: Create a milestone map. Your milestones are still significant steps, but they help shift your mindset to focus on the smaller things you need to do that will accumulate toward completing your long-term goal. Doing this will help you start to recognize the necessary steps toward achieving your goal.

#7. Learn from Your Mistakes

Not only can you learn what not to do when you make a mistake, but you can also analyze what went wrong and figure out how you can do better in the future. All mistakes are learning opportunities, no matter how big or small the mistake may be. Often, trial and error is the best way to work something out.

Let’s say your goal is to land a great job and you are in the interviewing process with several companies.

During one interview, you make a comment that seemed innocuous at the time, but the interviewer seemed put off, and in hindsight, you can see why. I would be willing to bet that you would not repeat that comment during your next interview. Instead, you will take it as an important life lesson that just learned. (For more on this, read these 137 powerful life lessons.)

Action Step: Determine what specific action led to the mistake. In the job interview example, were you nervous and responded too quickly to a question without stopping to gather your thoughts? If this is the case, maybe you need to do some more interviewing practice so you’re more comfortable with the process.

#8. Don’t Focus on Your Weaknesses

Be aware of your weaknesses, but don’t focus on them. Rather, focus on your strengths and the things that you have to offer that other people do not. Ask questions that make you think more deeply about your life.

If you consider your lack of experience to be a weakness in your goal of learning a new language, the only way you can face this head-on is to gain the necessary experience to feel like speaking a new language is something that you can eventually accomplish. Rather than focusing on your lack of experience, focus on your drive and ambition to become a fluent speaker.

Stop thinking about your weaknesses. If you have a few weaknesses, be aware of them, but do not focus on them.

Action Step: Perform a personal SWOT analysis. This means writing down your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that are relevant to achieving your goal. This will help you recognize your weaknesses but allow you to take your focus off of them as you are also looking at the factors that you have in your favor. To get started, check out this guide on how to do a SWOT analysis for your personal life.

#9. Change your Attitude

Realize that you have the power to change. You just have to be motivated to do so. You can't feel defeated or complacent with your life just being “okay.” Without making excuses, you have the power to change anything in your life.

If you don't feel like you can do it on your own, seek help from other people in order to achieve your goals and get the results you are looking for. Never think that you simply cannot change an aspect of your life.

For example, it is within your power to lose weight. While the process may be slow and seemingly unrewarding in the short-term, you’re the only person who can control the outcome of your weight-loss efforts. Don’t stop trying simply because you think that the steps you’re taking (or the steps you have to take in the future) won’t benefit you in the long run.

Action Step: Be proactive without expecting to see a result. While the steps you take are based upon the results you'd like to see, don’t go into it with high and immediate expectations. This will only be setting yourself up for disappointment. Do your best, but don’t obsess over the ultimate outcome. Trust the process.

#10. Believe in Yourself

When you are faced with a challenge, do you feel like you can handle it or do you come up with some excuses to avoid it?

Perhaps you have a tendency to doubt your own abilities to rise to the challenge and overcome the hardships that life throws your way.

Believing in yourself plays an important role in whether or not you are able to achieve the results you want in life. If you want to save enough money to buy a house, but you don’t believe that you can actually do it, you won’t have any motivation to try because you will see your efforts as being pointless. You have to be able to envision yourself reaching your final goal in order for you to believe it will actually happen.

Action Step: Take a few minutes to list the things that you are good at doing and the successes you have had in the past. Then, recognize that everything you listed is evidence that you can, in fact, succeed. Sometimes we forget how successful we have been in the past. Next time you think that you can’t do something, alter your focus to the things you have already accomplished and about how you can make your current goal into a reality.

#11. Visualize Your Success

Literally visualize what it would look like and feel like to achieve your goal and have success. Close your eyes and think about who will be waiting for you at the finish line and the amount of pride you will be feeling as you’re running your final few meters. Notice as much detail as possible, such as your clothes, the look on your face, people cheering for you, the weather, the sounds of other runners around you, and anything else you can think of. Imagine your feelings as you are completing your first marathon.

Doing this can add some motivation to your agenda, as you will want to actually be able to feel those feelings of accomplishment.

Action Step: Get comfortable, close your eyes, and imagine what you would see if your dream was realized. Practice doing this any time you feel a dip in motivation.

#12. Remember: It’s Okay to Not Be Perfect

Accept your mistakes and know that other people are willing to accept your mistakes as well, especially if you own up to them and learn from them. This is something that happens to everyone, even the most successful people.

Accept your mistakes and know that other people are willing to accept your mistakes as well, especially if you own up to them and learn from them.

People often have a tendency to dwell on their mistakes, but doing so will damage your self-confidence. Dwelling on your mistakes can lead to feelings of anger, frustration, and stress, which can then lead to procrastination.

If you’re trying to save money for a house, but you bought something on an impulse that really damaged your budget for the month, take the time to accept the mistake and then move on from it. If there is nothing you can do to undo your error in judgement, just do your best in the future to do better.

Think of a boxer who gets hit during a boxing match. Does he or she stop to dwell on what they did wrong? Or do they get up and keep moving toward their goal of winning? While they may not repeat whatever they did that caused them to get hit, they’re not going to remain seated and let their emotions get the best of them.

Action Step: Next time you make a mistake, find the lesson in it and move on. Analyze your decisions, correct your behavior, and get back on the right path.

#13. Know You Can Change Your “Excuses Habit”

If you are used to coming up with excuses to get out of doing things, this is a habit that can be changed. Think about what you are actually trying to avoid when you make an excuse. Are you avoiding doing extra work? Or maybe you don't want to give up your free time or move around your priorities?

Try to figure out what you are really trying to get away from and address it head on. You can stop making excuses and start getting the results you want if you are able to have a clear vision of what you want for the future.

If you want to meet the love of your life, but refuse to go out and do anything on weekends because you want to watch television, you’re never going to get closer to meeting someone than you are now. Start saying “yes” to social invitations, even if your immediate gut-reaction answer is “no” because that is just what you’re used to saying.

Action Step: Say yes. The next time any sort of opportunity presents itself to you that is relevant to helping you meet your goal, agree to it without hesitation.

When it comes to your own future, making excuses is a habit that is limiting your ability to meet your full potential. It can keep you spinning your wheels for years without making any progress and lead you to feelings of dissatisfaction with life or a lack of purpose.

If you choose to blame other people for your own actions, this can lead to bad outcomes including developing a bad reputation with colleagues and peers.

You may take this to the opposite extreme and give other people credit for work that you actually did. If this is the case, you will likely be wondering why you are not making progress toward achieving your goals.

Final Thoughts on How to Stop Making Excuses

Follow the 13 steps that I outlined in this article, which will allow you to take the important first step to forever breaking the excuses habit. Start with one or two. Once those are mastered, add a few more. It won't take long to follow all of these habits an set yourself up for long term success in your life.

Honestly, sometimes people get so used to making excuses that doing so is their default answer to everything. They hardly consider actually saying “yes” or taking on responsibility.

They are just wired to come up with one of the excuses that they hold handy. It is important to make the best of every situation instead and never make an excuse that is not valid.

I am inviting you to check out my resources page. It is completely FREE and has a ton information and some downloads. You can find it at resources.xpansioncode.com.

I will be releasing new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday!

If you like this podcast, then check out my newsletter called Xpansion Press. Business content delivered to your inbox. Just click here to sign up.

How to Build momentum

Momentum: in business is built when you accumulate a series of successes, one following another in quick succession without stopping. Momentum can produce quick growth and enable you to meet all your goals within a very short duration. 

Momentum takes daily work

1. Practice one thing every day

The first step in creating momentum in your life is to choose one activity or habit and practice it daily. Note that I didn’t say ten things or five things — just one thing. Any more than one item on your list and you’re already screwed before you’re started.

Why one thing? One thing that you practice daily allows your mind to focus. For every item on your list, a piece of your focus is taken away and that means the incredible power of momentum escapes you.

One Thing = Focus

Sustained Focus = Momentum

2. Set a 3% challenge

This step involves making a game of it and creating momentum through being 3% better (3% is not an exact number and is another way of saying small increases in results).

Once you have the daily practice, challenging yourself to be better at that daily practice in small increments is an entirely achievable goal that anyone can achieve.

If you wrote 500 words, write 600 words.

If you produced one video today, produce one and a half videos tomorrow.

If you made $100 this month from your website, make $120 next month.

Each time you challenge yourself and achieve small wins, you work your way towards the tipping point that momentum is. Momentum creeps up on you though and often once its effects are realized, you’ll have a delayed reaction to what is going on.

3. Commit to the long-term

The misconception about momentum is that it happens quickly. This step involves making one simple decision:

Will you focus on the short-term or the long-term?

By saying yes to the long-term, you head down the path of momentum. Focusing on the short-term will only make you obsessed with results that you haven’t yet earned and then giving up when you don’t see them.

As an example, I tell writers all the time: “Forget about making any money in the first year. If you’re dead serious, forget about making money from writing for five years.”

The shift to the long-term kills all the noise in your head that is desperately chasing instant gratification that comes from quick results.

4. Refine your process

The final step in creating momentum is to refine your process

Let me give you another practical example. As a writer, I have refined my process by cutting out a whole bunch of steps. I’ve cut out using editors, using too many photos in my articles, meeting minimum word counts, judging my work, and minimizing my time on social media that doesn’t add to the quality of the writing.

Locking in the daily habit creates your process and once you’ve repeated that process enough times, you’ll realize that there is a huge amount of wastage. Refining your process allows you to create momentum.

Summary

These are the four steps that anyone can use to create momentum. They are not hard to follow and can be applied to whatever your goal, dream or hobby is in life.

Once you see the incredible power that momentum creates in your life, you’ll feel like I feel right now writing these words. You’ll feel on fire!

Momentum crushes any creative resistance you have, eliminates the need to be motivated and helps you in invisible ways you can’t even see.

Choose one thing and practice it daily, set small challenges, commit to the long-term, and refine your process. I cannot wait to see you reach a level of potential that you previously hadn’t realized because the incredible power of momentum was lacking.

Use momentum to live a life you didn’t think was possible.

I am inviting you to check out my resources page. It is completely FREE and has a ton information and some downloads. You can find it at resources.xpansioncode.com.

I will be releasing new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday!

If you like this podcast, then check out my newsletter called Xpansion Press. Business content delivered to your inbox. Just click here to sign up.

Procrastination at Work

The problem with procrastination at work isn’t actually a problem with motivation—it’s a problem with clarity. 

Clarity is something we think about a lot—because achieving clarity is the key to getting good results. The problem is clarity isn’t always guaranteed. You need a dedicated tool and a good framework for visibility in order to prevent silos and unblock high-impact, meaningful work.

Why we procrastinate at work

What is procrastination?

Procrastination is the habit of delaying or postponing the work you need to get done, either by doing other, less important things or by distracting yourself with non-work activities, like checking social media or watching a tv show. 

Procrastination is a form of time-inconsistency—the unconscious preference for immediate gratification over potential future rewards. Even if you know you shouldn’t procrastinate because you need to get something done, it’s more appealing to do something now—and experience the immediate gratification—than to work towards a longer-term goal. 

Part of solving this is bringing immediate gratification into longer-term projects. You can do this by implementing appreciation and feedback into your daily work. 

Procrastination doesn’t mean laziness

Depending on who you talk to, people cite many different reasons as to why they procrastinate at work. Reasons typically include: 

• Laziness
• Lack of self-control
• Fear of failure
• Built-up bad habit
• Perfectionism
• Feeling like work isn’t urgent
• Confusion about requirements 
• Negative self-talk 
• Fear of complex or overwhelming projects
• Multitasking

Nearly all of these reasons stem from one, central blocker that leads to procrastination at work: lack of clarity. If you’ve developed a procrastination habit, chances are, you don’t have a clear connection to why your work matters. That isn’t laziness talking—it’s a fixable issue. 

The problem with procrastination

Time-inconsistency plays a huge role in procrastination at work. Oftentimes, the work you’re doing is contributing to a larger project or organizational purpose. But, depending on your role, that goal can seem far from your day-to-day work. Without insight into why your work matters, it’s hard to motivate yourself to get that work done. 

What’s missing is clarity. When you clearly understand—and can draw a direct line between—the work you’re doing and how it impacts your team or organization, you’re more motivated. But this is hard to achieve. In fact, according to our research, only 26% of employees have a very clear understanding of how their work relates to company goals. 

Understanding how your work is laddering up to company goals leads to more clarity about how you’re making an impact at your team and company. This simplifies decision making. You can mindfully prioritize important tasks based on the initiatives that make the most impact on your company goals. Make sure these goals aren’t too far off. To combat procrastination, you need a clear line of sight from your work to company goals. 

Solving the clarity problem

To solve the clarity problem, you can do one of two things: 

1. Create team or department goals. If you or your team members have a hard time seeing how your individual work connects to broad company goals, consider creating department or team goals. That way, it’s easier to draw a line between your work and your team’s goals and understand the impact you have. 
2. Clearly connect your personal work to company goals. Even if you can’t create team or company goals, look for a way to visualize how your work is directly connected to broader company goals. For example, understanding how your work impacts a project that’s driving towards a larger company objective can help you better understand the impact your work has. You can do this with a goal management platform.

7 tips to stop procrastinating

To combat procrastination at work, create shorter-term team and department goals, or draw a line between your personal work and broader company goals. Try these seven tips to get started: 

1. Connect work to goals

The best way to stop procrastinating is to clearly understand how your work is contributing to team and company goals. When you have this level of clarity, work becomes meaningful. Instead of doing work for the sake of working, you’re contributing to a larger vision. 

Ideally, this vision is something you feel passionate about. But even if it isn’t, simply understanding how your work connects to something larger helps it become more meaningful. Instead of struggling with time-inconsistency, the work you’d typically procrastinate on now has clear value. 

2. Clarify priorities

Inevitably, deadlines change. This could happen because a project suffers from scope creep, another project gets prioritized, or your team lead reallocates resources based on last-minute needs. But if you know what work is most important, you’re more prepared to actively manage your priorities. Then, when deadlines and timelines do shift, you have the clarity to deliver the work that drives meaningful results. 

Clarifying priorities is a good anti-procrastination method because it helps you clearly see which work is most important. With clear priorities, you know you aren’t working on unimportant tasks. Instead of feeling like you’re wasting time at work, you see why your work matters.

3. Use goals to fight perfectionism

Sometimes, chronic procrastinators are actually perfectionists. In such a case, the pressure of doing perfect work is overwhelming—which leads to procrastination. But perfectionism, like most other types of procrastination at work, can be solved through clarity.

Focus on impact

If you struggle with perfectionism, it helps to have a clear sense of the impact of your work. Instead of aiming for perfection, focus on completing the task at hand so it supports company goals in the best way possible. Here’s what we mean:

Imagine you’re working on an educational animation for your website’s home page. Many people will see this work—which is causing the perfectionist in you to panic. That’s because you’re focusing on the outcome and thinking about all of the people who will see the video. Instead, focus on the video’s goals and impact. The animation’s goal is to communicate the benefits of your company’s product to people who aren’t familiar with the product—and the impact is education. By re-orienting your priorities around the impact, you reduce the pressure of perfectionism and get right to work. 

Define “done”

Another good strategy to fight perfectionism is to define what “done” means. This is a technique that Scrum teams use to move quickly. By defining—and sticking to—what “done” means, you have a point at which you can stop working, regardless of whether the work is 100% perfect. When in doubt, keep in mind that done is better than perfect. 

4. Break big initiatives into smaller tasks

Sometimes it’s hard to clearly see how and when you’ll complete a big project. As a result, it’s tempting to just put it off. The scope of the initiative makes it difficult to grasp all of the moving parts and connect those back to your larger goals. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the enormity of the task (or project), break the work down into smaller chunks, then use a project management tool to track and organize your work.

Breaking big pieces of work into smaller chunks is also helpful because you’re probably not responsible for every aspect of a large initiative. For example, if you’re writing an ebook, you’re responsible for outlining, drafting, and copyediting the work. But there’s probably someone else designing the ebook, plus an editor to approve the ebook. Breaking up the initiative “Create ebook” into multiple tasks not only makes it easier to get started, but also gives you clarity into who’s doing what by when. 

5. Capture every to-do

Even if you’re not working on complex initiatives, it’s still helpful to list each to-do out. Without a clear way to visualize what’s on your plate, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose track of everything you have to do. And you’re not alone. According to our research, 26% of deadlines are missed each week. 

Capturing every to-do is a tactic from the Getting Things Done (GTD) method. Once you clearly see what’s on your plate, you can more easily organize, prioritize, and execute work. Make sure you’re tracking your work in a to-do list app, not a written checklist. While it’s fun to cross things off a list, tracking your work in an app helps you sort and prioritize work, add additional context to important to-dos, and share those to-dos with team members. 

To build a great virtual to-do list, read our article about 15 secrets for making a to-do list that actually works.

6. Set deadlines

Without a clear sense of when things are due, it’s tempting to put that work off. Clear deadlines make it easier for you to understand exactly when a task needs to be completed. You can then plan accordingly to make sure it’s done on time. After all, you can’t get good work done if you don’t know when that work is due in the first place.

Once you’ve captured all of your to-dos in a to-do list tool, make sure each item has an associated deadline. This is also a chance for you to identify work that isn’t a high priority for you. If you come across such a task, defer the work until you’re more available or delegate the task to someone else.

Don’t just do this once. Quickly triage work at the end of the day and set due dates for any new tasks. That way, when you get into work the next day, you’re better equipped to get stuff done.

7. Try these time management strategies

Once you have clarity, you’re more likely to feel motivated. Yet there are still days where you need a little extra support to stay on task. If that’s the case, try a time management strategy to reduce multitasking and get into flow state. 

Getting Things Done (GTD) method. The GTD method is based on the idea that the more information you’re mentally keeping track of, the less productive and focused you are. Instead of relying on your brain, the GTD methodology encourages you to store all of your work information in an external, organized source of truth. 

Pomodoro technique. The pomodoro technique alternates between work and break sessions. A pomodoro is a 25-minute work session, after which there’s a five-minute break. After doing four pomodoros, you take a long break. By working in short spurts, you’re more likely to be productive while staying motivated.

Time blocking. Time blocking is a time management strategy where you schedule out every part of your day. With time blocking, you’re effectively breaking the work week into bite-sized time slots where you check your email, work on projects, take a break, or even exercise.

Timeboxing. Timeboxing is a goal-oriented time management strategy to help you increase productivity and reduce procrastination. A timebox represents a goal to finish a particular task within a certain time frame.

2-minute rule. The 2-minute rule is a simple time management strategy: If a task takes less than two minutes to accomplish, do it now. This methodology focuses on small tasks, with the belief that if you get them out of the way quickly, you have more time—and more brainpower—to get your higher-impact work done.

Don’t procrastinate creating clarity

While you can try to brute-force your way out of procrastination and adopt a “just do it” attitude, these strategies are only effective in the short term, at best. In the long run, the most effective way to stop procrastinating is to connect your work to larger goals. 

Like other personal development skills, stopping yourself from procrastinating takes time. If this is a habit you’ve built up, don’t expect it to go away overnight. Instead, dedicate yourself to creating clarity—for yourself and your team—over a period of time. Slowly, you’ll find you’re more motivated to get work done when you can clearly see why your work matters.

 I am inviting you to check out my resources page. It is completely FREE and has a ton information and some downloads. You can find it at resources.xpansioncode.com.

I will be releasing new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday!

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Leadership Talk

Are people natural born leaders or do they have to be taught leadership skills?

What is Leadership?  It is nothing more than INFLUENCE.

What is INFLUENCE? It is to affect or change someone or something in an indirect but usually important way.

What is the best way to influence someone? It is to gain TRUST.

What is the fastest way to gain trust?  To give of yourself first!

Example: Tell someone an embarrassing story about yourself.

Trust is the key to Leadership?

Remember with great power comes even greater Responsibility!

We all have a stewardship!

When we are a leader, we must take great care of the people we influence.

God has called me to steward my employees!

I am the leader of my companies, and this is my mission field. I am call to disciple to the people in my businesses, which is GOD’s businesses that I am just a steward of. None of these companies are mine. I am just here to carry out God’s work. I am just a humble servant. Remember God always comes first in our lives.

If I could tell my 14-year-old self one thing, what would it be and why?

Stay the Course!

Bible Verses I Live By:

Luke 22:42

Saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.”

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

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Optimism and Overwhelm

What do you do when overwhelmed? 

Do you recognize it?

“I don’t feel like doing this.” Red flag for overwhelmed.

Self recognition is key.

What I am being overwhelmed about. 

Apply system to it, break it down into chunks, most pleasurable bite there is because if enjoy this bite more than something else. Get yourself into the most enjoyable part. Then in process and mind shift. 

What are you thinking in work mode? 

Task done, so do it.

Hyper focused on what doing.

What next?

 Build momentum from this one things. 

Congratulate self for accomplishing something. 

Hardest thing is the self aware piece, what you’re feeling in that moment. How can you increase the self awareness?

Feelings and emotions will rob you of success. 

How do you maintain optimism in your beliefs? 

Make it a habit.

21/90 rule.

You have to want to change. 

Every day wake up and make that choice to choose optimism. 

Practice intentionality – you have to want to change.

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Positivity at work in real life

Day 1: Saturday

• 4” of snow
• Birthday wrong on ticket
• 6-hour delay of flight to Dallas
• Missed flight to San Francisco 
• Fly to Sacramento instead
• Luggage goes to San Francisco
• Arrive at midnight to hotel in Sacramento

Day 2: Sunday

• Come up with new plan
• Send luggage back home
• Buy new clothes
• Stay in Nappa Valley

Day 3: Monday

• Get up and drive to Eureka, CA
• Drive through Nappa Valley
• Drive through the Redwoods
• Stop and drive through a Redwood tree
• We get to Eureka, CA
• The hotel debacle

Day 4: Tuesday

• The breakfast debacle 
• Go to the Redwood park and zoo in Eureka, CA
• Go to the movies
• Dinner and back to the hotel

Day 5: Wednesday

• Great breakfast place
• Drive to San Fransico
• Drive over the mountain to the coast
• Get to Fort Bragg, CA
• Drive back over the mountain to get to the 101
• Drive to Santa Rosa for dinner and stay at hotel

Day 6: Thursday

• Drive into San Fransico, CA
• Go to hotel
• Rest Day

Day 7: Friday

• Get up and eat breakfast at Ihop
• Take Alcatraz Island tour
• Get on the Hop on Hop off Bus
• Eat Dinner
• Drive to hotel near airport

Day 8: Saturday

• Get up eat breakfast
• Return rental car
• Go to airport and fly home

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Productivity Mindset 

What is a productive mindset?

A productive mindset is one that makes the best use of your resources - your time, your energy, and your efforts. It is not trying to do everything and be everything, or even doing it in the quickest way possible. It is making the most and best of what you have while enjoying the process.

Here are some of the elements of a productive mindset:

• Curiosity - The willingness to seek, question, and explore new ideas and concepts. It is the willingness and desire to know and learn new things. 
• Desire or Motivation - Cultivate desire. Without desire or motivation there is nothing to drive us to make progress and improve. Inertia is the opposite of desire and a destroyer of progress.
• Vision - To be able to visualize what you want helps you focus on it and gives you an idea of what the outcome would look like. Without that picture in your mind, it would be more difficult to strive for a goal. We've all read how men of 'great vision' have been able to accomplish the seemingly impossible.
• Critical Thinking - Acquire the ability to assess a situation in an objective manner or to see it how it really is. Look at the pros and cons and be willing to make the appropriate adjustments.
• Self-confidence - The faith and belief that you are fully capable and can do what you set out to. Without self-confidence and faith, you cannot reach your full potential
• Persistence - Most things do not come easily. Be willing to overcome obstacles and adversity. Challenge yourself and persist in order to reach your goals. Do not let circumstances, the opinions of others, or setbacks, thwart your determination to succeed.
• Positive attitude or outlook - Your attitude, be it positive or negative, can make, or break, you. Possessing a positive attitude allows for any possibility, while a negative one defeats you before you can even start.
• Open-mindedness - There is nothing like an open-mind for generating new and innovative ideas. You become receptive to groundbreaking experiences when you are flexible and open-minded.
• Balance - Ultimately, to function well and get the most from life, we must maintain balance. Working towards goals is important, but we must also take time to rejuvenate and recharge. Doing too much, or pushing too hard on any one thing, can lead to burnout and frustration.

By integrating the above elements into our though processes, we not only cultivate a productive mindset, but we also set ourselves up for reaching our goals more effectively, develop positive habits and we sharpen our minds to function at high levels.

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