1.  Lack of Focus (lack of goals)

Goals help you focus. They keep “the main thing the main thing” (Stephen Covey). Keeping your focus on the main thing allows you to prioritise: to do the right thing at the right time.

 

2.  Perfectionism

“It’s got to be perfect before I start/launch/show”.  Does it? Trial and error is a good thing (in certain situations). Give it a fly. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, you now have feedback on what to do differently, to course-correct, and do it better next time.

 

3.  Not prioritising

Lack of priorities sees you doing the less important tasks at the most important time and sometimes running out of time. The result is that you don’t do what’s important. I use a simple A + B system. A’s have to be done today. B’s get done after the A’s. If you don’t get to the B’s, it’s okay. And some of the B’s of today will become A’s tomorrow. And that’s okay too.

 

4.  Procrastination (putting things off) 

Someone once said, “Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today, because if you enjoy it today you can do it again tomorrow”.  But most of the times that we procrastinate it is because of the things we don’t want to do: the tax, difficult conversations, asking the boss for _____.  I’ve found that when I get the unpleasant tasks done, it frees up a whole lot of energy to be creative and more productive.

The five second rule is a good one in this case. If you think of it, do it within five seconds, otherwise it can turn into procrastination.

 

5.  Fear of Failure

Some of the best achievers in the world also failed a lot. Ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?” You would have to start again / people would laugh / you might lose some money. What’s the opposite? “What’s the best thing that could happen?” It’s successful / you achieve what you set out to achieve / you hit your goal / you make some money / you get the girl/guy.

 

6.  Doing everything yourself

There is a saying: “If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Team. Create a team. You don’t to put on three full-time people. You can start with outsourcing. Outsource your admin. Outsource some of your social media. Maybe Fivr is a method you could use to get some of the small tasks done on a tight budget. Virtual Assistants (VA’s) will help with your emails. Get a mentor. Invite someone onto your team. If you haven’t done so already, check out Gen Harwood and the Greatness Principle.

 

7.  Unfinished Tasks

Incomplete tasks create “brain clutter” and distract you from the task at hand. Take all those incompletions out of your head and put them onto paper. Place them in a trusted system so you know where they are, and then act on them.