Staying Motivated Through Startup Madness | Greetly iPad Sign In App

One of the biggest challenges that small business owners face is staying motivated. When you were working your standard 9 to 5 you had a routine, and someone to hold you accountable, for showing up each and every day and doing your job.

It’s a Lot Easier to Convince Yourself to Work When You Know Your Boss Is Watching

Now that you’ve quit your day job to chase your daydream, it can become challenging to keep pushing through your to-do list, especially once the luster of that daydream starts to fade a bit and become more “work” than you envisioned.  On pushing through, Adda Birnir, founder of Skillcrush, said, "One of the most important things I have learned is that businesses don't fail, entrepreneurs give up. Now sometimes, giving up is the right decision. But usually, you just need to dig in and figure out how to make things better. Remember: Every day is a new opportunity to get up and do it better than yesterday!" 

So, what can we do to keep the skip in our step, and keep pushing forward?

Taking Your To-Do List to a to-Done List

Consider reframing how you look at what has been achieved. While we love the to-do list as a way to keep things moving, think about how motivating it could be at the end of each day to list out all that you’ve done, rather than what is yet to do? Spending a few minutes at the end of each workday, or even in the middle of each workday, to write down what you’ve accomplished will make you realize you’re not just swimming in the fishbowl year after year, you’re getting somewhere, and you’re spending your time doing what matters. You can also look at efficient office solutions like a visitor sign-in app to take some of these mundane tasks and simplify them, giving you even more time to focus on what really matters - in the business or your personal life (remember that?).

Theme Your Days

Jack Dorsey, CEO of both Square and Twitter, says “The way I found that works for me is I theme my days. On Monday, at both companies, I focus on management and running the company…Tuesday is focused on product. Wednesday is focused on marketing and communications and growth. Thursday is focused on developers and partnerships. Friday is focused on the company and the culture and recruiting. Saturday I take off, I hike. Sunday is reflection, feedback, strategy, and getting ready for the week.”

While not everyone is stretched as thin as Mr. Dorsey, it’s easy to understand why he believes in theme-ing his days. What happens when you create headspace (and actual time) for each important item that is going to move your business forward? You instantly see progress, you have the discipline and focus that you need, and you keep yourself (and your team!) motivated. Consider adopting a similar schedule, and plot out your week, or a few key days, to build that theme and routine for yourself and for your business. You may even see themed days have a halo effect on the rest of your team and coworkers, increasing their motivation and efficiency, too.

Build a Kick-Butt Playlist

When you’re out on a run and need to kick it up a notch, or when you’re at the gym and need the extra push to stay motivated, you switch songs and find one that picks you up. Why not apply that to your workday routine? Putting on your headphones and blocking out the extra distractions can also help you focus, which therefore can get those motivational juices flowing. In a shared workspace or office environment, a solid soundtrack may also improve the mood of your employees, and therefore increase productivity. So when all else fails, it’s time to pump up the tunes and put on your Motivation Playlist.

Tell us, when the work becomes mundane, or when the "adulting" just becomes hard, what do you do to stay motivated? And, most important, what could we offer you with Greetly to help you stay motivated?

--Dave at Greetly