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Jan 13 2015

‘Journaling’ to Entrepreneurial Success

Tamara 14 (1)

One of the ways I approach finding effective strategies for building my business has come from very targeted research. This research involves looking to those who are farther along the entrepreneurial journey than me, then identifying what they define as contributing to their success.

One standout trend across industries was the use of journaling, in many different capacities. ‘Journaling’ is a term used (in this article) to define an individual who is taking time in their day as a part of a regular routine to physically write/record personal information, ideas, experiences and reflections.

You may have heard recent studies of science backing up the benefits of putting ‘pen to paper’ (ie: Mueller and Oppenheimer’s research found individuals had increased ‘conceptual understanding’ and consequent success in applying it to their work). Or you may have a personal practice of journaling for creative expression but not thought of it as a business tool. Even if you haven’t had any experience with journaling at all, I wanted to bring to you some of the methods (and benefits) that research has shown can contribute to success in business, so you can create a system that will work for you.

 

  1. Problem solving

Using journaling is actually a way to see solutions that may otherwise not have been seen, as ‘Fast Company’ (online) reveals. This process can include: asking questions, brainstorming solutions or writing from different perspectives. All of which can provide an alternative way to process complex information, beyond typing.

 

  1. Evaluation

Once you have written on a regular basis, it gives you an opportunity to review what has been written and find patterns and changes in momentum across a defined period of time. Using this type of reflection after the journaling has occurred was key in Julia Galef’s (President of the Center for Applied Rationality) work with her clients. She uses this strategy (along with her signature system) to help others change long-standing (often not helpful) opinions about themselves to create new patterns of behavior after this type of process.

 

  1. Focus

One downfall to using technology (widely known) is the abundance of distraction. Quick processing and easily found information make it easy to change activities with a click of a button. Using pen and paper gives you the opportunity to literally only have ‘one thing open’, no need to resist clicking on a new tab. Once your journaling is done, it is encouraged that you then simply ‘put it away’ and not disrupt the rest of your work that is not related.

 

  1. Productivity

A recent Harvard Business School study actually found that using ‘journaling’ (by reflecting at the end of the day) could increase productivity by up to 25%. This is based on the participants in the study being able to ‘visualize’ what is important and therefore make more progress towards a particular goal.

 

I can appreciate that all of these strategies (and subsequent benefits) can be integrated into your workday; no matter what business you are building. We live in a very abundant time in our lives, because technology is advancing and becoming very accessible to all. The great thing is, so is paper. By using journaling strategies in conjunction with digital tools you have an opportunity to create a system that can produce the results you want in your growing business.

 

Tamara is the owner and designer at ‘Your Pretty Pages’ where she provides templates, planners, guides and resources for creative entrepreneurs to get and stay organized. To support your successful planning, Tamara has just released the ‘Entrepreneur’s Journal’ which you can find here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/YourPrettyPages

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Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Tamara · Tagged: business development, Business Woman, Canadian Small Business Women, Center for Applied Rationality, entrepreneur, Entrepreneur's Journal, Evaluation, Fast Company, focus, Harvard Business School, Insights, Journal, Journaling, Julia Galef, opportunity, Problem Solving, processing, research, routine, Scientific Study, small business owner, small business owners, strategy, success, Tamara, targeted research, Your Pretty Pages

Jan 15 2014

Time To Take Inventory

sandra

When we think of inventory, we often think of a storage room or warehouse full of merchandise to be sold.  The inventory I want talk about today is our personal inventory.  It’s January – the time for New Year’s resolutions, revised business plans and targets, and a fresh start!

I did an exercise with the youth at the shelter I volunteer at and wanted to share it with you:

  1. Make a list of your habits.
  2. Divide them into two categories, those that serve you (aka good habits) and those that hinder your progress (aka bad habits).

It’s helpful to look at this exercise from a personal and business standpoint.  Often the two overlap for entrepreneurs anyway!  This exercise should be done as part of your “what’s working/what isn’t” review that should be a part of your 2013 recap.  Whether it’s spending too much time on Facebook or not enough time getting leads and referrals, we have to be honest with ourselves about the things we’re doing (or not doing) that are hindering our progress.

We all know that habits are hard to break, but when those habits are hindering your personal and professional/business growth, it’s time to take notice and take action!  It’s said that it takes 21 days to develop a new habit.  That’s it.  21 days of consistent effort will get you closer to opening up the channels that contain all the good stuff that’s going to help you be a better entrepreneur, mate, friend or parent.  There are going to be challenges.  Don’t beat yourself up if you fall back into old habits.  Acknowledge the slip up and why it happened and move on.

The habits we want to release took time to become a part of our daily routine.  It’s going to take time and commitment to let them go and develop new ones that will help you to take your life to the next level.  Try not to overwhelm yourself.  When we’re making the list of our habits, it can be easy to get carried away focusing on all of our negative habits.  We’re not going to change all of them at once.  Focus on one or two that you feel are manageable and work your way up to the bigger ones.  Remember that small successes will build momentum.

If you need help, ask for it.  An accountability partner is a great help when you’re working on making changes in your life.  Surround yourself with positive people.  We all have changes we want to make; we might as well support one another to ensure that we all achieve success!

 

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!

Connect: 
www.embraceyourdestiny.ca
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook
www.twitter.com/sandradawes

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Written by Dwania Peele · Categorized: Sandra Dawes · Tagged: 21 days, accountability, bad habit, business development, Business Woman, Canadian Small Business Women, coaching, commitment, Embrace Your Destiny, entrepreneur, fresh start, good habit, inventory, new year, progress, routine, Sandra Dawes, small business, small business development

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