Top 3 Unhealthy Habits Entrepreneurs Should Avoid

We are creatures of habit. Our thinking patterns and mindsets lead us to create both healthy and unhealthy habits, which can affect us both in our personal lives and our careers. Entrepreneurs can build a foundation of success by applying a growth and abundance mindset, incorporating them into their routines to set them up for success. By learning to identify the unhealthy habits that you have developed over the years, you can choose to let go of them and replace them with practices that serve you and your business well. 

Habit #1 - Making Excuses

Do you find yourself always making excuses why you can’t get your work completed? Or do you make excuses about why you are not able to bring on more clients? You might tell yourself, “I just can’t land that deal because nobody wants to spend money right now.”

The reality is that people need what service or product you have to offer. You just need to find a way to market yourself and help potential clients understand how you can help them. Learn to shift your mindset from a scarcity or fixed mindset to an abundance or growth mindset. Start accepting personal responsibility for your efforts and develop a “can do” attitude, and you will build confidence and determination.

Habit #2 - Not Having Boundaries Or Work-Life Balance

Entrepreneurs often have trouble separating work and personal life. You may find yourself on vacation but checking your business email account. If you work from home, you may have difficulty sticking to set “work hours” or staying away from household chores when you know you should be in your office working. This is where you need to set boundaries between your work life and your personal life.

Maintain a separate workspace or office with set business hours if you work from home. Put your email vacation responder to let people know that you will not be checking your email while you are on vacation. Having time away from work to refresh and relax will help you focus better when you are back to work.

Habit #3 - Failure To Delegate

Entrepreneurs tend to take on too much responsibility. Perhaps it’s the perfectionism habit or the fact that it’s their name and reputation on the line, so they want to make sure everything gets done right. Whatever the issue is, this is one habit that every entrepreneur needs to break. You will be overworked, exhausted, and lose your passion if you do not make time for yourself. 

As your business grows, more work and more responsibility will fall on you. That’s when it’s time to delegate to a team member or staff member. If you do not have a team or staff, you can work with a Virtual Assistant (VA) rather than hire a full-time staff member. VAs are usually self-employed, independent contractors who can work a variety of tasks for entrepreneurs remotely from their home office. There are many different tasks you can delegate to a VA, from general administrative tasks to specialized work such as project management, blogging and web content creation, graphic design, event management, and much more. You can hire a VA to only do the work that you need help with, and they will free up your time so you can enjoy doing more of the work you love and spend more time on your self-care. 

Which of these habits do you most identify with? Share your entrepreneurial habits, both good and bad, to inspire others!