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Wasps In Your Business? 

Watch out for those aggressive wasps!

Being stung by a wasp can really hurt.  Metaphorically speaking, it can hurt your business too. Have you had a good look around your business to see what these wasps might be?

In real life, if several wasps were to be flying around you, the first thing you’ll want to do of course is to get rid of them by opening the window or by any other speedy method that works.

However, in your business, are there “wasps” flying around that are keeping you and your staff distracted?  The fact is that they too can sting and hurt your business. So… beware!

This wasp metaphor expresses the frequent reality that some businesses would perform better if there weren’t so many distractions that take the focus away from the all-important income-generating activities. Is that the case in your business too?

Distractions are like wasps, they need to get our attention… yes, our “immediate” attention!

Look out for these wasps!

Let me ask you, what are the distractions in your business that make it hard for you and your staff to stay focused and on course? And how do you get rid of these “wasps”?

Let’s look at three of the most common “wasps” that can so easily distract us from the most important work in your business:

1. Your Smartphone

Unsurprisingly, we are told by experts that most people look at their smartphones more than 50 times a day. We are bombarded with emails, texts and social media notifications and phone calls throughout each day of the week. Not only that, but we also use our smartphones to note down reminders, look at calendars, watch videos and even do our shopping. No wonder it is addicting.

How do we stop relying so much on our smartphone?  Try putting your phone on silent or using the airplane mode. You might even put your smartphone in another room or leave it in a drawer or a bag.  Scheduling specific times during the day to check it will help you cut down on your usage during work time. 

2. The Emails in Your Inbox

We tend to receive a lot of emails. The daily figure in 2019 was expected to be a staggering 33 billion worldwide. The temptation to stop what you are doing and check your inbox is a very strong temptation for most people. If repeated, such an interruption can make completing your work difficult.

Perhaps the best thing to do is to turn off your email notifications on your phone and computer. Don’t worry, real emergencies are likely to be notified by several different means, not just your email.

3. The Propensity to Multi-Task

I’ve often been guilty of juggling too many tasks at the same time. What about you? From a successful entrepreneur perspective, would there be any reason not to handle several responsibilities at the same time? In reality, our brains find it difficult to fully focus on more than one task at a time. Some experts say that multitasking doesn’t save you time and it does not make you more productive, and that it actually slows you down. What do you think?

Does multitasking make you more prone to making mistakes?  In any case, it is a hard habit to break. My point is that there is much to be said about focusing on one task at a time.  Perhaps the key here is good time management. Try organising your time so that you can complete one task at a time and then see the difference it makes to your working day. 

There are no doubt many more types of distractions. Since distractions are inevitable, we need a plan for all the forms they can take. Let’s spot them immediately when they appear and not hesitate to get rid of them, so that we can be more productive in our key business activities. So, the next time you get distracted, it might be a good idea to think “wasp” and open the window of your mind to let it out!

My closing question to you is this: What are the “wasps” in your business and what do you normally do to get rid of them?

25 way to get more customers

Olivier Carion

Olivier Carion is a Sales Masters Guild Personal Business Mentor

 

With a real passion for the psychology of communication and the architecture that underpins accelerated growth, you’ll quickly realise why Olivier is the man who will help accelerate your business to a whole new level.

 

Find out more about Olivier on his Sales Masters Guild profile page.

 

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