Business Education

How to Solve the Biggest Problem a Work Routine Creates

Every entrepreneur has heard the advice to adopt a work routine. While it’s certainly helpful in a number of ways, it can eventually lead to feeling stuck, stifled, and unrewarding. That’s definitely no place anyone wants to be because it becomes counterproductive. What’s more, it drains your energy and doesn’t help to fulfill your passion. It’s called a rut and it’s the single biggest problem with following a routine.

Advantages of Having a Routine

Now, there’s a whole lot of good that comes from establishing a routine. It helps you to keep focused, stay on-task, on-time, and avoid wasting effort on unimportant tasks. Plus, a routine helps to ensure you check off entries on your to-do list, one prioritized item at a time.

A routine that is too rigid can become a rut, and a rut can become a trap. Some people are so adamant about sticking to “the routine,” that it becomes a full-blown stress when anything disturbs it. And you can count on disturbances! They are a part of life. But these people have forgotten how to think outside the cherished routine. The joy of spontaneity is missing. —Self Growth

Moreover, a routine lets you know precisely where you are at any given time. Then, there’s the psychological and emotional benefit of having peace of mind. When you follow a routine, you’re much less likely to feel anxious or stressed out.

3 Effective Ways Entrepreneurs can Break Out of Work Rut

Although there are a number of benefits to following a routine, the biggest downside is it turning into a dreaded rut. This is a bad situation and will only worsen, if you don’t stop the cycle. Here are three effective ways entrepreneurs can break out of a work rut:

Change things up. Okay, this one’s obvious but it’s necessary because it’s so hard to actually do. When you change things up, you’ll feel like chaos has broken loose. You’ll also probably feel a bit lost. But, when you change things up, you’ll also start to feel more free, realizing your routine isn’t always the best way to work on your business.
Give yourself new tasks. Try giving yourself at least one or more new tasks to complete. It will challenge you to think in a way that you haven’t before and help to unleash your creativity. Plus, it will give you a real sense of accomplishment because it’s something you’re not accustomed to doing.
Spend some time in different places. Work ruts can happen anywhere, not just the office or shop. You probably run in the same circles all the time, frequenting the same locations over and over again. So, try something new in order to experience new environments and people. It will only widen your perspective and might even inspire you in a totally unique way than ever before.

What other suggestions do you have? Please comment and share your thoughts and experiences!

Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

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Is This the Most Valuable Business Lesson of the Ukraine War?

March 6, 2025 No Comments

Sensational headlines about ending the Ukraine-Russia war dominated the news last week and will likely continue for several days, weeks, or months.

My Best Employee Plans to Leave in the New Year, What can I Do?

December 16, 2021 No Comments

The Great Resignation continues to unfold. At least, that’s what’s it’s been dubbed in the press to describe the phenomenon of a mass departure, largely regarded as due to the global pandemic shutdowns which caused a huge number of workers to rethink their career paths. So, an unprecedented amount of employees are leaving their current (or previous) positions, seeking out other opportunities. Couple this with the impending New Year and it makes for a particularly precarious employment environment. That means it’s quite possible, you’ll find yourself facing the same situation. Fortunately, there are preventative steps you can take to keep your best employee on board. Biggest Mistakes to Avoid Obviously, this will stir a number of negative feelings. You’ll likely feel angry, betrayed, baffled, and perhaps sad. These negative emotions cause people to act out in rash, impulsive ways. So, be sure to keep your emotions in check, which is to say in perspective, proportionate to the reality of the situation. If necessary, take a few minutes to step away from everything and allow yourself time to relax and clear your mind. When your right-hand person or a rising rock star in your business tells you they’re about to leave, it can be an emotional experience, says Rich Reinecke, co-managing partner of business consulting firm Fahrenheit Advisors. ‘It can be very emotional, initially. Sometimes you’re angry. Sometimes you’re scared,’ he says. But what you do next can have serious repercussions for your business. —Fast Company.com If you don’t act in a rational manner, proportionate to the circumstances, you will come unglued and that’s not helpful to anyone. Instead, keep your composure and act in your own best interest so you don’t hurt your chances of keeping your best employee from leaving. After all, he or she made this decision based on a number of factors and there’s probably a good reason why he or she came to this conclusion. 3 Effective Employee Retention Strategies If your best employee tells you that he or she is leaving next year, you obviously don’t have much time to change his or her mind. However, that doesn’t mean their exit is inevitable. You might be able to get him or her to stay. Here are a few effective employee retention strategies you can use: Have a meaningful conversation. Although money usually plays a significant role, more compensation isn’t always the driving force. There are instances when employees make completely lateral moves from one company to another and pay isn’t a factor. Of course, you’ll probably assume he or she will be paid more, but don’t convince yourself that’s the only reason. Take some time to have a one-on-one conversation and listen carefully to what he or she has to say. You might just find out there are other reasons for their decision to go and you can address those issues one by one. Show your sincere appreciation. Perhaps your right hand is choosing to leave because they feel they have hit a ceiling and are stuck. This is a very common rationalization people use in order to convince themselves to leave their current positions. After you’ve spoken with him or her, be sure to take immediate action to show your appreciation. This can include but isn’t limited to: giving them more say about what’s going on, promoting the individual, or offering a few more persuasive perks. Increase his or her financial incentive. obviously, money talks. And, if the main reason he or she is considering leaving, simply offer to match their new compensation package. If this strategy isn’t feasible right now, you can always do things like extra paid time off, or incremental, scheduled pay raises, or even offering more benefits. What other methods would you suggest using to keep a key employee from leaving? Please share your thoughts and experiences so others can benefit from your unique perspective! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

Accomplish Your Biggest Goals in Small Steps

May 16, 2017 No Comments

You’ve probably heard the way to eat an elephant is to take one bite at a time. In business this is fundamental because it decidedly identifies the road to success. This road, it should be well understood, isn’t an easy path and will have plenty of bumps along the way. These setbacks, or failures, are excellent parts of the learning curve and are typically more valuable than successes. Savvy entrepreneurs embrace this truth and use it in a strategic way. Some of the largest and oldest companies were born from simple ideas. These giants grew from obscurity, not because of all they offer, but because each accomplished a goal which made them instrumental to the world of commerce. In 1939, after many frustrating years, inventor Charles Goodyear discovered the process of vulcanization. Though the legendary achievement is etched in history, the backstory is quite telling. Goodyear spent years trying to turn his concept into reality. He went dead broke and into extreme debt, yet endured and persisted on one single goal. How to Accomplish Your Biggest Goals in Small Steps Of course not every entrepreneur suffers such extreme adversity. It’s true that the majority of businesses do experience fits and starts but overcome and go on to achieve enough to turn a respectable profit. The way this happens is through a series of phases which include periodic cycles of failures. These aren’t due to lack of motivation, not being smart or talented enough, but the result of trying to accomplish too many things at once. When people set out to begin a major work project or adopt a healthier lifestyle, it’s easy to become discouraged when picturing the long road ahead. By the same token, even smaller-scale plans like keeping a medical appointment or a standing date to the gym can become easily derailed by the busyness of our daily lives or a simple aversion to the doctor or the treadmill. —The Wharton School Let’s get back to how to eat an elephant. The key to tackling any big goal is to do so in a smart and workable manner. Though most people understand reaching a goal takes time, their enthusiasm causes over-reach and that’s when things start to go wrong. You just can’t do six things at once and expect to master all of them. Too many directions, which is to say too many projects, is a recipe for failure. So, the key to success is the opposite — do one thing at a time. Here’s how to accomplish your biggest goal in small steps: Set a big goal to reach. The first step is to set a realistic goal. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big but these can be too large to reach before feeling discouraged. One of the reasons entrepreneurs achieve success is they have a vision that’s focused and workable. Identify a realistic path to take. Another component to achieving your big goal is to map out a realistic path to take. Break the process down into phases —these don’t have to include every possible detail or include all contingencies. Martin Luther King remarked on this when he said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Start with one small, incremental step. You’ve probably heard different adages about the first step being the hardest. It’s true and to feel a sense of accomplishment while building momentum, the first step ought to be small. Take a moment to reflect the accomplishment. After each incremental step or phase is complete, take time to reflect on your accomplishment. The sense of pride is inspiring, and it reinforces your self confidence. With every step and phase completion, you can look toward your ultimate goal but stay focused on the here and now. This will help to motivate you and it’s a great way to appreciate your hard work. As a side note, it would be an honor to help out my LinkedIn connections with their business. At minimum, I’d love to connect and be in touch. We can do this by you signing up & getting my Top 5 Business Tips each month; and it’s free! May Your Business Succeed Beyond Your Dreams! ~Best, John Waters Want to find out about what a business coach can do for you? [shareaholic app=”follow_buttons” id=”26833294″]