​Business ownership is often romanticized as a thrilling combo ride of passion, innovation, and drive where one can wear a hoodie and hang out playing video games all day while money magically flows into your bank account. But anyone in business knows the idea of the effortless hustle or business is about as untrue as being discovered on a street corner in Hollywood and becoming a blockbuster star the very next day.
Does it happen?
Occasionally.
But there are more stories of struggle and strife than instant riches. The reality for many business owners is a less glamorous one that can take a significant toll on mental health. A study by the University of California, Berkeley, found that a staggering 72% of entrepreneurs report experiencing mental health concerns, with 30% reporting lifetime depression. The weight of this statistic underscores the importance of addressing the mental health challenges faced by those at the helm of our businesses. And that begins by looking in the mirror.

​Trust is the cornerstone of customer relationships, driving sales and fostering loyalty. Yet, building that trust swiftly, especially in a competitive landscape filled with countless options for consumers, can be hard. Establishing credibility and rapport takes time and effort. (It’s the one thing you can’t buy at Costco.) But strategic actions can accelerate trust building. By focusing on transparency, communication, and consistently exceeding expectations, you can cultivate trust quickly and effectively. If you want to build trust with current and potential customers, check out these important values.

​On September 1, 2023, we lost a big name in music–Jimmy Buffet. As always happens when a celebrity passes, suddenly everyone is talking about him and his myriad contributions to entertainment. But Buffet’s popularity wasn’t because of his complex songs or his professionally-trained voice (he had neither). Buffet had something else. He became known as the king of vacation, his laid-back attitude was something a lot of people aspired to. For that reason, and eleven others, entrepreneurs can learn from this “son of a son of a sailor.” After all, he “sold” a way of life and a community that most of us find enviable.

​If you’re like me—and almost everyone else in this country—the end of the year is a time to look back and assess. I enjoy the nostalgia and reminiscing that occurs at this time of year, but it can also be a time of dread. It’s a time to realize you either hit the mark or you didn’t. And if you did, you may be apprehensive about being able to do it again in the new year.
 
So, we make resolutions.

We tell ourselves we’re going to do X differently this year. And most of us fall short of X because we forget about it, or we fall back into old routines because they are easy and we know how they work.
 
But this year, if you’re going to take on a resolution, we have some tips for you. The goal is to make resolutions more intuitive and doable. Here are a couple of ways to do that.

​Productivity is always a big push at the beginning of the year. Everyone wants to do more with less, less money, less time, and fewer resources. This article will show you four ways to structure your day for greater success in achieving your goals. The one that best works for you is a personal decision but trying several of these can give you some good insights into how you (and your employees) work best.

4 Ways to Structure Your Day for Success 
Time Segmenting
The first way to think about your day is the organization framework. Most productivity experts will agree that segmenting out time is a way to stay on track. Elon Musk, for instance, budgets his day in five-minute increments, five-minute calls, meetings, touch bases, etc.
 
If that is too frantic a schedule for you, you may want to try something like the Pomodoro Method, which structures the day around 20-minute sprints of focused activity. Set a timer for 20 minutes and during that time nothing is allowed to derail you from your work. When the 20-minute buzzer goes off, you have 10 minutes to do other, less focused things such as check on emails or return a phone call. At the end of that 10 minutes, you set another sprint timer.
 
Themes
You can also take a cue from Jack Dorsey the founder of Twitter. He assigns themes to his workday concentrating on one aspect of the business per day much like you might do as part of a workout routine.
 
If that is too limiting and you feel your schedule needs to be a little more fluid, you could assign theme hours or chunks of the day. For instance, Monday Marketing or New Business at Noon.
 
Permanent Dates
Another way to be more productive is to work on things that you’re passionate about. But in times of crisis and when there are many things going on, it’s easy to go into reactionary mode and eliminate these “less important” activities.
 
Avoid that temptation. Scheduling time—even if it’s just half an hour to concentrate on something that refuels you—is a good investment in yourself professionally and in your business.
 
But in order to adhere to these “refreshers” you need to put them on a calendar like you would a meeting with your most loyal customer. Do not allow yourself or anyone else to cancel these important times in your day or week.
 
Free Days
Everyone needs a meeting-free day. It allows you to focus on things that don’t require consensus and gives you more controllable time in your day.
 
You can get quite a lot done if you work to keep your meeting-free day the same day (or half day) every week. This day can be used to catch up on things, reach out to new business, explore a creative outlet or new market, or whatever the business needs at the moment.
 
If you like a tight schedule, building in “free time” that will never be stolen by meetings or other potential time wasters will give you peace of mind that you have a scheduled cushion or productivity boost coming up.
 
If this year is the one you plan on becoming more productive, know that there’s not one way that works for everyone. Implementing one of these tried-and-true structures can help you get better insights into your day and where your time is going. Remember, every decision you make on how you will use your time brings you closer—or tracks you further—from your goals.
 
Since others don’t usually know what your goals are, don’t leave it up to them as to how you spend your time. If you do, you can be assured you won’t end up where you’re planning to be.
 
 
Christina R. Metcalf (formerly Green) is a marketer who enjoys using the power of story and refuses to believe meaningful copy can be written by bots. She helps chamber and small business professionals find the right words when they don’t have the time or interest to do so. 
Christina hates exclamation points and loves road trips. Say hi on Twitter or reach out on Facebook.
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