Master the art of small steps

When it comes to work and planning, incremental progress is crucial, as focusing on the smallest details can reveal changes that change everything. It's always important to remember that slowing down a little won't be a waste of time. But what you mustn't do is procrastinate or turn your mind off. To maintain your inner drive towards a lofty goal during such slow progress, focus on small victories. Renaming tables in Excel, tidying up your workspace, sorting through a huge folder of documents - these may not seem very important or significant at first. But trust, as soon as you see them crossed off your long to-do list, you'll find the motivation for other, more substantial achievements. You can make it a habit to create checklists detailing absolutely every task for the coming day, week or month.

Value your time

Small business owners often have limited budgets, forcing them to juggle a multitude of tasks. However, their most valuable resource is time. Entrepreneurs should constantly remind themselves that they should only invest their time in the most strategically important aspects of their business (and this should not be confused with point number 1!). Sometimes trying to save money by doing everything yourself can actually lead to higher costs. This is where technology plays a key role for small businesses, allowing them to delegate and automate complex tasks. For example, why use an Excel spreadsheet as a cash flow planner and enter all the values manually when you can do it all with specialised financial planners who not only save your time but also "think" for you?

Monitor resource leakage

As business owners juggle a multitude of responsibilities, it's easy to make a costly mistake. In the whirlwind of tasks and responsibilities, many may not notice the subtle gaps through which their valuable resources are leaking. Take some time to thoroughly analyse your work processes. Identify those moments where your resources may be leaking out. For example, forgotten paid subscriptions to certain resources or overdue payments that are accruing interest. Find and fix these gaps to ensure your business runs more reliably and profitably. This wise investment of time can have a significant impact on your budget in the future.

Self-analysis to identify mistakes

Making mistakes is an integral part of the entrepreneurial journey. Entrepreneurs who are prone to self-analysis are able to identify their weaknesses, learn from their own mistakes and gradually improve their business. Self-analysis reduces the likelihood of repeating mistakes and also encourages continuous development and growth in entrepreneurial endeavours. Do not hesitate to critically evaluate your actions, and your mistakes will become valuable lessons on the road to success.

Break down the big plan into small parts

Long-term planning is still essential, but it's a good practice to get into the habit of planning, at least every couple of weeks, what actions you'll take in the near future regarding the company's income and expenses. This is when you realise that a year isn't just 12 months, it's 52 weeks. By breaking this long period into smaller ones, you increase your control. You can also get into the habit of inputting your future payments into your cashflow planner to understand how much you'll have to pay and to whom on particular days, and what your balance indicators will be at that moment. This way you'll be able to see the big picture and make any necessary adjustments quickly.

‍

In conclusion, good planning and effective time management are not luxuries - they are essential to your success. Keep moving forward, take small steps and remember that success is the result of consistent effort and proper resource management. The journey may be long, but each step will bring you closer to your goal.