Day #6: The Best Laid Plans ...

The curse of starting your own business is ... it's just YOU. You are:

• planner/visionary
• designer
• technician
• sales team
• marketing team
• administrator
• executive assistant
• accountant
• janitor

As carefully as you plan in months leading up to launch date, as realistic as your projections are and as much as you coach yourself not to do this, the first week of business seems to be full of paperwork, organization, scrambling to take care of legalities and ... BUSY STUFF - the STUFF that keeps you occupied but does nothing tangible for your bottom line.

Paperwork is a necessary evil and always seems to take WAY longer than anticipated.

Natural reaction? FRUSTRATION! Feel the cortisol and adrenaline rise. Feel the brain power disappear. I don't think humans were designed to sit all day typing on a computer, shuffling paperwork and answering electronic devices. By 1PM today I wanted to run, swim, kayak, hike, bike ... ANYTHING but what I was doing.

Antidote? ... What used to work well for me was an early start to my day (6AM), biting off some dreaded paperwork monster over a giant glass of water, going for a quick run while I organized the rest of my day's plan in my brain, checking and answering email after a good stretch, hitting the shower and being
ready to call and see clients by 9AM.

An early morning routine that eats cortisol can really boost productivity. Just make sure you are ready to take care of business when your potential clients are because, if you get locked in paperwork during regular business hours, it can really munch on your day!