On Monday 1^st April 1991 I set up my first business SOLFAN using a little bit of office space lent to me by some friends of mine.

Like so many people I have met since, who’ve ventured out into the world of self-employment, I simply thought I could do it better than the guy I was working for.

One Scale Lesson I learnt very early on was the detrimental impact procrastination can have, particularly on small businesses.

I’ll let you into a little secret….

SOLFAN stood for: Sick of looking for a name !!

I was keen to get going and had been presented with a massive opportunity, so couldn’t afford to waste precious time (or money) on my company name.  Hence, I very quickly came up with this acronym which thankfully worked.

Don’t get me wrong, your business name, strapline and logo are all very important, but I come across so many business owners who spend far too long procrastinating over the finer details that they’re slow to act, slow to respond, slow to market, making it very easy for their competition.

(1). Using checklists and sharing them across your teams so everyone is clear on processes and responsibilities.

(2). Holding regular (same day, time & agenda) and productive meetings. A 15-minute Daily Huddle first thing will answer all you need to know, and focus your team by simply asking: What happened yesterday? What are we going to do today?

(3). Planning your time. Start using a daily planner and schedule 90-minute slots one week in advance. You’ll be amazed at how many slots there are in a day to fill with proactive projects, as well as those regular tasks such as team meetings, your numbers and content generation. You should even block out ‘reactive’ time as well as leisure/family time.

(4). Focusing on the important. Don’t get distracted on ‘urgent’ activities that demand immediate attention; the phone ringing is urgent, but it may not be important.  ‘Important’ activities get you from A to B based on your goals and vision; if you don’t do this then you will never reach your desired result.

And the hardest one of all….

(5). Letting go! Too many business owners complain of being mega busy but many just simply won’t delegate because they think they can do the job better themselves…or tell themselves it’ll be quicker if they just do it…or simply believe they need all the control – even though they have internal or external resources that can do a better job.

This week stop looking for excuses to procrastinate and stop dressing up procrastination as research.  Yes, it will feel alien at times (especially number 5), but please strive to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. It’s amazing what results you’ll get.

BW,

Martin Norbury

The Scalability Coach | Britain’s Top 10 Adviser 2018 | Author of #1 bestseller I don’t work Fridays  | Ex-CEO of a PLC