Entrepreneur Lessons Learned From Moving
There are lessons available from all types of experiences. I dislike moving with a passion, but always learn something from the experience. When I moved last year, I learned quite a bit of how to smooth the process, see those lessons here. This time I learned some great entrepreneurial lessons.
1) Double the tasks you plan to complete.
I knew that as I moved my internet would be down and my papers would be packed away for a little while. So the plan was to pre-schedule tasks beforehand. I automated as many things as I could and felt like I was set to continue operating with minimal disruption during and immediately after the move. I was not, due to an unforeseen hiccup. I didn’t have reliable internet in my home for two weeks. Yeah two weeks … no internet … with a business.
There’s only so much going to other places to use WiFi one can do, especially since my main business computer is a desktop and I was still trying to get the rest of my place settled. So the tasks I had pre-scheduled went and it was a struggle to get my other tasks done. Whatever tasks you think you need to pre-schedule double them to account for more time where you may be unable to function as normal.
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2) Have a contingency plan.
Prepare for if you’re down longer than expected. Think about what resources and options are available to you. Have a plan that details what happens or what steps you can take if there are circumstances that disrupts your normal business flow. Where will you work until the home office is ready? Where will you work if setting up your office takes longer than expected? Where will you work if there are complications with getting an internet connection established? Can you delegate even more tasks to other team members or assistants? I didn’t foresee not having internet for two weeks, but I should have had a contingency plan for a longer down time.
3) Account for your energy level and emotions.
Moving can be stressful enough and the stress gets even worse when something goes wrong, like when my movers called to tell me their truck wouldn’t start. You’ll be tired after moving. You may already be thinking about being physically tired but account for the emotional fatigue as well. There is the possibility that you may have a very stressful annoying move and time period immediately after moving.
Be prepared for how those emotions may affect your productivity. Think about what you can put in place to de-stress and refocus. You can sleep and rest to take care of being physically tired and reset your energy level, but you also need to be able to reset your emotions. As an entrepreneur you still have to work when you don’t feel like it so getting over that feeling quickly will help your productivity.
4) Take more scheduled time off.
Acknowledge burn out and take more time off/out. Sure, I couldn’t do much with no internet connection, but realized it became an excuse to hang out and not do as much. There were time where I could have worked around not having access to the internet, but I let it be my excuse, because I was a little burned out. I hadn’t been taking enough time to relax and reset. Look out for the signs when your body and mind are telling you “I need a longer break.”
