How to improve productivity by working on self-control

Our tips to enjoy the emotional rollercoaster of entrepreneurship

by Solved

If you trust statistics

one person out of two made some good resolutions this year

Here are mine: Read more Sign up to the gym Spend more time with my friends Attend exhibitions

But all of them take time

So my first resolution:

start being more PRODUCTIVE

How do I become more productive?

Productivity tricks

Schedule every phone call

Keep your mailbox empty

Have someone call you once every hour for

accountability

Read the full list here: http://www.inc.com/john-brandon/40-tips-and-tricks-for-boosting-your-productivity-today.html

Productivity apps

To discover more productivity apps, follow the link: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/237875

But is that it?

Meet Renita Kalhorn, coach for entrepreneurs

@flowjunkie

Renitas (not so secret) lesson for entrepreneurs:

A higher productivity can turn an entrepreneur into a superhero

More than talent or native intelligence, its the mental toughness mindset that enables us to achieve our goals

- Renita Kalhorn

Having a great idea is not enough

You need to move quickly, to learn how to be consistent and maintain execution when you encounter challenges, let alone failures

In a word, you need

SELF-CONTROL

Our lack of focus impacts our productivity

Tweeting cost the US economy $112 billion in 2012

In 2008, US employees spent 2.8 hours per week on average dealing with conflicts people that they dont get along with, dealing with harassment, dealing with bullies, etc. resulting in $359B of lost productive time or an equivalent of 385 million working days.

Irritations and underlying arguments at work are some of the the greatest sources of lost productivity

Unhappy people are 10% less productive

Our level of happiness affects our ability to get through the workloadHappy people are

12% more productive

Want to be more productive?

Follow Renitas advice

Productivity tip #1

Recognize the impact of little annoyances

Our Homo sapiens genes react to any perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival, by raising our level or cortisol in preparation for defending ourselves.

And each time, it raises our cortisol level by 10 to 15%, adding up to a major impact, for both your health and your family, friends, business circle

Dont follow your fight or flight instinct

Instead, become more aware of what triggers your irritation, what makes you angry or causes you stress.

Acknowledge that you have control over how you respond to external aggressions, you dont have to be upset.

Practice, practice, and practice again. Emotion control will only come with mental training.

Productivity tip #2

Dont follow your proclivity for Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Entrepreneurs always want to jump into action

As long as I keep myself busy, it means I keep moving towards my goal, right?

Wrong

Its like saying: I dont have time to look for my car keys so Im going to walk.

And you end up wearing out your shoes, tripping on the sidewalk, and spending more time to reach your destination.

Sit down, take a piece of paper and jot down the things that you are the most anxious about, the things that are causing you stress.

Our brain is more suited for processing than for storing information, so if you want to be able to properly think, eliminate the popcorn brain.

You can now see opportunities that you didnt have access to before because you were so busy taking actions.

Productivity tip #3

Accept that rollercoaster is the very nature of entrepreneurship

When you get funded When you fix the technical bug youve been working on for weeks When you get a new client or when you reach your 1,000,000th customer Etc.

Everybody loves the high

we just dont like the lows.

But self-pity doesnt lead anywhere

So stop losing your time moaning your fate; accept the setbacks and bounce back.

Instead of asking: why did it happen to me?, say: It happened, now what?

Productivity tip #1: Recognize the impact of little annoyances

Productivity tip #2: Dont follow your proclivity for Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Productivity tip #3: Accept that rollercoaster is the very nature of entrepreneurship

In conclusion

You must be the change that you wish to see in the world.

Gandhi

A big thanks to Renita Kalhorn for taking the time to answer my questions. To tell you a little bit more about her: Renita is passionate about helping entrepreneurs succeed. A Juilliard-trained concert pianist with a first-degree martial arts black belt and an MBA from INSEAD, she founded Step Up Your Game Now, a mental performance strategy firm to help fast-growth CEOs and their teams perform optimally in high stress environments. She also mentors Navy SEAL candidates in mental toughness.

Find out more about her Seven Habits of Mental Toughness training here or follow Renita @flowjunkie for more insights.

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