I can attest that the right habits will do wonders for your success. However, the thing about habits is that they become so routine and ingrained in your head that you barely even notice you’re doing them. That’s why there are also bad habits entrepreneurs need to avoid to boost their success.
Saying “yes”
Productivity expert Tim Ferris once said “What you don’t do determines what you can do,” and he has a great point.
We often feel the need to give everyone a “yes” to feel that we are helping ourselves and others. But the truth is that overextending ourselves isn’t doing anyone a favor. Instead, you should learn to delegate tasks and prioritize those pieces that are truthfully beneficial to you and your most important relationships.
To start, turn up your turn down skills: creating a polite, default response such as, “I’d love to help you out, but I’m honestly too busy,” will ensure that you avoid this bad habit and maintain a semblance of work-life balance.
Thinking of failure as a bad thing
Nobody enjoys failure, so one of the bad habits entrepreneurs follow frequently is to try to avoid it completely. What I’ve come to realize is that nobody’s perfect when they’re dipping their toes into something new. Quite simply, if you’re always avoiding failure, you’re stagnant.
While my team never makes a mistake when we’re dealing with clients, I’ve let them know that it’s okay to have some slip-ups when they’re testing a new procedure or process.
If you enjoyed these tips, check out my weekly column at Inc. for more. Have any habits of your own that you dropped to become more successful? I would love to hear from you!
