“Behavioral Congruence”. While it sounds like one of those $5.00 phrases for “walk your talk”, it actually goes deeper.
So many business owners call themselves “entrepreneurs”, yet act as if they have jobs:
- Feeling they need to “put in” certain hours in the business (maybe you’re super productive in the early morning or later evening – don’t feel constrained by the clock)
- Feeling guilty if they take time off during the “workday” (personally I love to do my grocery shopping during a weekday when everyone else is at work and things are much less hectic)
- Spending more time on being busy than achieving measurable results (What accomplishments will most affect your goals?)
Whether you have a job or are an entrepreneur, there are thousands of studies and even more books on the subject of “success”. It’s really pretty simple when you think about it:
Success, however you choose to define it, comes from doing what needs to get done in order to achieve the results you’re seeking while acknowledging that “good is good enough” and most everything except time is replaceable.
If we accept that basic definition, the following begs to be answered:
“Is your behavior congruent with your desired results?”
Looking to lose weight?
- Are you exercising regularly?
- Eating healthily?
- Avoiding fast food and low nutrient foods?
- Are you surrounding yourself with others who care about and support you?
- reducing stress?
Looking to create a successful business?
- Are you connecting regularly with your ideal clients and community?
- Are you tracking and tweaking what you can manage?
- Are you surrounding yourself with others who care about and support you?
- Are you productive or just busy? Efficient, effective or both?
- Have you given yourself permission to be brilliant?
As entrepreneurs and small business owners, no one’s checking up on us. We either “do the work” or we don’t and the results can be seen in the health of our business.
One of the things I’ve been doing lately is tweaking things in my environment and daily preparation, in order to support my desired behavior (and hence the results I’m seeking). Here’s what I mean:
- Rather than be instantly available to my Team, I’ve scheduled “Team Question Time” each day. Result = I’m getting a lot of uninterrupted writing/project time in. Bonus Result = Team is more focused and keeps questions on a “Chat Sheet” so they can just go through the list.
- Rather than greet the day with a “to do” list, I:
- Clear my mental desk weekly by listing all my “to do’s” on it
- Assign each a priority
- Assign each the amount of time (in minutes) it should take
- Each afternoon, before shutting down, I look at my schedule and, using “time chunking”, schedule each action item right into my Calendar System (with the amount of time it should take) – remember, “nature abhors a vacuum” so filling your calendar keeps you focused and timewasters are less likely to creep up.
Result = Much higher productivity without the constant feel of stress and overwhelm
- Treating my desk more as a Command Center by clearing off my desk each evening and ensuring that only the next day’s project files are within reach. Result = A sense of calm I couldn’t have otherwise predicted. By setting everything up, my subconscious goes to work on tomorrow’s projects while I’m doing whatever I’m doing outside the office.
Want support on the above and so much more without breaking the bank? We’ve opened up 50 spots in our Get It Done Right Community – with our active and supportive Facebook Group, monthly calls and private scheduled mentoring and so much more — and will close enrollment on either February 18th or when the 50 spots fill up, whichever comes sooner.