People who run successful businesses often find that there are not enough hours in the day and what time they do have can be full of distractions and time wasters. There are however some behaviours that, once recognised, can be altered and make your day far more effective. Of course there is no “one-size fits all” behaviours and some are tougher to change than others but here are some ideas that might help you evolve and grow both in business and life in general.

Learn to say no

You need to be focussed and strategic to achieve your goals. Taking on too much, particularly things that are low importance or could be done by someone else, means that your time could be spread too thinly. Be selective in what you take on so that you can devote enough time, passion and energy to the things that will really make a positive difference. Learn to be assertive if that is what it takes and delegate to the best person for the task.

Repeating mistakes

Perfectionism and the fear of failure often go together. The fear of failure can hold you back. Making mistakes is part of life and business too. Failure is a powerful tool; use it to help you to learn from your mistakes and as a path to growth.

But making the same mistakes over and again is a cause for concern. Learn to recognise that you have repeated your mistake and tweak your approach to the problem.

Positive people

The people you have around you, but not necessarily in your business, can make a huge difference. You may not be aware that negative people can impact you and your drive to succeed. Doubters and naysayers can tarnish your vision and diminish your energy for getting things done. Spend more time with positive, enthusiastic and resilient people; they can be good for you.

Similarly, don’t make excuses and blame other people, other situations and the universe when things don’t quite go the way you envisaged. There are always other factors involved but dwelling too long on excuses really is just a waste of energy. Be positive and take steps to change.

Your health

You cannot overlook your health if you want to succeed and furthermore, enjoy that success. A healthy body and mind means that overall you will be a happier person and happy people are easier to work with and to work for. Getting to the point where you feel you have achieved what you wanted in a career can be draining and burnout is common. Make time to fuel yourself correctly and keep active.

Mindless technology

Downtime and relaxing is important but it is easy to lose countless hours on social media and gaming. Technology is an essential part of modern business and even social media can be hugely beneficial under some circumstances. But be mindful of how long you are taking and what benefits are being realised.