12 Bad Habits of Entrepreneurs that You Too Need to Ditch

Entrepreneurs are a special breed. They’re the risk-takers, the people who wake up every morning and figure out how to get a business off the ground. Most don’t have bosses or employee handbooks — they’re their own bosses, and that means less of a feedback loop to correct the bad habits of entrepreneurs. Naturally, entrepreneurs have an image of always having it together. But we’ve learned that there are patterns. The daily habits of successful entrepreneurs are one of these patterns; waking up early and exercising for example. The same thing is also true for the bad habits of entrepreneurs, which can have serious consequences. One bad habit can lead to another and another until suddenly you’re in over your head and the whole business is about to collapse. But if you start watching what habits are holding back your success or stopping you from growing, then it’s not hard to change them for good!

That’s where this article comes in. Here, we’ll look at some of the worst habits of entrepreneurs and why you can’t afford to keep them if you want to make it to the top. We’ll also visit the flip-side of things to see what successful entrepreneurs do out of habit every day. Well then, let’s dive in before you start to realize that writing long intros is one of my bad habits!

 

Being Unmotivated

The first step to achieving your goals is understanding the importance of motivation. The more motivated you are, the more likely you’ll be able to reach your goals and make it as an entrepreneur.

The next step is setting goals that matter to you personally—the ones that keep you up at night thinking about them and how they’ll impact others. These should also align with your values and beliefs so that when things get rough, or even if they don’t work out perfectly, there’s still meaning behind what you’re doing.

Once those two steps are completed, it’s time for some action! Getting started on something new can be scary but if it means changing how people live their lives (and maybe saving some money in the process) then there’s no reason not to do it!

 

Failing To Plan

The most successful entrepreneurs are those who have learned to plan. Planning is your best bet for achieving success in your business and life. It’s also essential to stay on track and prioritize so you don’t get overwhelmed by the day-to-day tasks of running your business. When it comes down to it, there are two types of people: those who make plans and those who don’t make plans. The first type will be successful; the second type will fail miserably at whatever they do with their lives or businesses because they fail to see their dreams come true because they simply didn’t know how it could happen or even if it was possible at all!

 

Lying To Yourself

If you’re not careful, your everyday self-talk can be toxic. Instead of being a source of support and motivation, unchecked negative thoughts will turn against you and keep you from achieving your goals.

It’s important to recognize that most people are in the habit of telling themselves lies when they don’t achieve their goals—in fact, it’s one of the easiest ways to sabotage yourself as an entrepreneur. The first step toward preventing this is recognizing that we all do it. If we fail to set realistic expectations for ourselves or fall behind on our tasks instead of letting go and moving on with our lives, we’ll start making up stories about why it happened (and what we could have done differently). We tell ourselves that maybe things would have gone better if only this other thing had happened too—but then the “if onlys” pile up until they sound like a valid excuse for everything wrong that happens out there in the world beyond our control.

The key is learning how to recognize when these thoughts creep into your head so that you can stop lying to yourself about why things didn’t go according to plan!

Trading Time for Money

When you’re an entrepreneur, there’s always something to do. You have to make sure your business is running smoothly and growing, but you also want your employees to be happy and productive. It’s easy for the demands of work life to begin taking over your personal life—and when that happens, it can be difficult to get back on track.

What should you do about this time-wasting habit? First of all, understand why this habit is so harmful: When you trade time for money instead of trading money for time, you’re giving up valuable opportunities both in business and life. You don’t have unlimited resources; we all know that by now! So the next step is figuring out how you can minimize the time you spend on some tasks or even cutting some tasks. If it isn’t bringing in enough revenue or increasing productivity enough at work (and/or decreasing stress levels), then perhaps it’s best left undone until later—or even forgotten altogether! Of course, the more sensible way to deal with time-shortage is to save the time you usually spend on tasks like scheduling, invoicing, or task management by using an all-in-one CRM and business management software like RunSensible.

 

Getting Complacent

Why is it that so many entrepreneurs find themselves in this situation?

It’s because complacency is a form of laziness and self-sabotage. We all have bad habits we need to kick, but if you want to make it as an entrepreneur, kicking your complacency habit needs to be at the top of that list.

Here’s why: Complacency is the enemy of success. If we’re not growing, then we’re dying. It’s true! And growth requires work (hard work!) which means letting go of some of those things that hold us back, like our bad habits (like being lazy) or our false beliefs, like thinking someone else will take care of you if push comes to shove.

 

Not Delegating

You’re probably familiar with the idea of delegation—you assign someone else to do the task that you cannot do for whatever reason. It’s not always easy to delegate, though. You might be concerned about the quality of their work, or you may feel like you can do it better than them. The key is to trust in others and give them opportunities to take on new responsibilities.

Here are some tips for effective delegation:

• Communicate clearly, and precisely. Complacency is a form of self-sabotage. It’s hard to do great things if you’re not getting out there and making them happen for yourself. Entrepreneurship requires an enormous amount of time and effort, so it’s easy to fall into complacency. But that’s not productive because it means you’re not doing the work required by your business or customers; instead, you might be spending hours each day thinking about what could go wrong the next week or feeling about what needs to be done, who will do it, when they need to have it done and how they can get help if they need it
• Provide feedback after completion so that everyone knows exactly how their part fits into the bigger picture

Wasting Money

It’s easy to waste money if you’re not careful. A lot of entrepreneurs don’t even realize they’re wasting their money until it’s too late, and then they have to scramble to get back in the black. Don’t let this happen to you: take a hard look at your spending habits and make sure you’re not wasting any cash on things that aren’t worth it.

The first step is realizing when you’re doing something wrong or unnecessary—if you feel like an impulse buy was a mistake, chances are that it was! Next time around, put the item back where it came from so no one else buys it either (this is especially important with clothing). If there’s a necessity involved in what happened—like charging for airline tickets online—then make sure not only does everything work out well but also takes less than 30 minutes (or whatever amount of time is reasonable). If something doesn’t work right away, don’t be afraid to ask someone else who knows more about computers than yourself; there are plenty of answers out there!

So, this is one case where knowing the good habits of successful entrepreneurs doesn’t help if you don’t take a hard look at your expenses and ask if they’re really necessary. Do you need 5 different apps to manage your business or would a more affordable all-in-one sales and management software work better?

 

Multitasking

Remember when multitasking was cool? Well, its coolness is irrelevant considering how much damage it can do to your business. Multitasking can be extremely detrimental to anyone’s success, but this is multiplied in the case of entrepreneurs. Here’s why:

• Multitasking makes you less productive. Our brains simply aren’t wired to handle two or more tasks at once. In fact, according to most neuroscientists, our brains can only do one thing at a time. So when we try to do multiple things at once (like answering emails while talking on the phone), our brain has to switch back and forth between tasks, which takes up valuable cognitive resources (aka mental energy). The result? We get tired very quickly!
• Multitasking will make you look unprofessional and unreliable. As marketing experts like to say to entrepreneurs starting up, your clients are not stupid; they know what it means when something isn’t done on time. If you’re always late with work because of all those other priorities floating around in your head all day long, then your client may think twice before hiring you again—or recommend someone else instead!
• Multitasking makes it difficult to focus on one thing at a time. If you try to do two things at once, then you’ll be distracted by both tasks simultaneously and not get any work done. You can only be productive if your mind is free from other thoughts and distractions.

Perhaps the most obvious case of multitasking is also the one that’s hardest to avoid: handling the administrative and management tasks as well as the actual productive business itself. From scheduling appointments with potential investors and clients to tracking funding opportunities and invoicing, the list of repetitive but essential tasks just keeps getting longer as you go on. That’s why using the right tools matters so much. RunSensible is a feature-packed super-tool for entrepreneurs and startups that brings everything you need to save time and focus on the essentials.

 

Giving Up too Easily

The fact is, you can’t give up too easily or you won’t achieve your goals. The best entrepreneurs are those who work hard and persist when faced with difficulties. They’re patient, resilient, determined, and optimistic about their business ventures—and these traits will help them succeed in any endeavor.

If you want to be an entrepreneur and make it big, the first step is to be a winner; otherwise, how will anyone believe in you? Be ambitious enough to realize that becoming a successful entrepreneur isn’t easy but doable if one has the desire to succeed.

So, if you’re an entrepreneur and looking for ways to become successful, make sure these 12 habits have been kicked out of your life:

 

Working all the Time

Working all the time is a common mistake that many entrepreneurs make. You might think that working long hours will help you grow your business, but in reality, it can hurt you.

There are several reasons why this is true:

• The more time you spend at work, the less time there is for other things like family, friends, and exercise.
• Your productivity decreases as your mind get tired from working too hard all day long without taking breaks or doing anything else besides focusing on work.
• Working too much doesn’t make for a healthy lifestyle either—you risk getting sick because not taking care of yourself leads to stress which weakens your immune system when under pressure from deadlines and other responsibilities at home or at work (especially if they’re both demanding!).

So instead of feeling like you have to do everything yourself, find someone who can help out with tasks that don’t require your expertise or attention. This way, you’ll be able to focus on what really matters most in growing the business.

Not Thinking Like an Investor

It’s easy to think of investors as people who want a return on their investment, but the truth is that it goes much deeper than that. When you’re pitching an investor, they’re not expecting that you’ll make them a profit. They are looking for the same thing that anyone else is when they buy something: value.

They want to know what your plan is, how you arrived at this plan, and how you intend to execute your plan. Take some time before you pitch to an investor to truly understand what problem your company solves or what opportunity exists in the marketplace, then tell that story when presenting it to potential investors (or customers).

If you can do that, you’ll have a much better chance of getting someone to invest in your company.

Many entrepreneurs struggle with selling to investors because they don’t understand the art of pitching. You need to first think about what value you bring to the table, then figure out how best to communicate that value in a way that’s compelling enough for investors to believe it (and invest their money).

 

Not Listening to Your Customers

Listening to your customers is one of the most important habits you can have as an entrepreneur. Customers are your most significant source of feedback, and the best way to improve your business and make it successful is by learning what they need from you.

Think about a time when you were unhappy with a service or product, whether it was at a restaurant or a barber shop, or somewhere else entirely. What did the person providing that service do? Did they listen to you? Did they care about making sure that their customer left satisfied? Or did they just give something back because it was expected of them?

If someone has spent money on something, then we owe them our respect no matter what kind of day we’re having—and by listening carefully instead of dismissing customers’ concerns without even considering them or asking questions (like “how would I address this issue in order for me to provide better service next time?”), we show that respect in action rather than just saying it exists.

 

These Bad Habits Will Hold You Back — But They’re Easy to Kick.

Bad habits are easy to identify. They’re the things you do that aren’t actually good for you, but you can’t help yourself. You know they’re wrong, and yet there they are, familiar as ever. This is what makes them so hard to kick.

• 1) Not being organized
• 2) Being inattentive to your health
• 3) Not planning ahead or being overly optimistic

Bad habits are easy to avoid. If there’s something about your behavior that’s holding back your progress, try a few small experiments with different ways of doing things–or stop doing them altogether! Remember: it’s only a bad habit if it doesn’t work out well for you!

The Flip Side — Daily Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs and Why They Work

You might be wondering what the secret to success is. How do successful entrepreneurs get to where they are? What daily habits make them so successful? Ask a seasoned entrepreneur and they’ll tell you that there’s no magical formula — there never is, right? It can even be something familiar that most people already see as a good habit, but that doesn’t stop it from working for you. You see, successful entrepreneurs wake up early in the morning and go to bed late at night—and when they’re awake, they’re always working hard to improve themselves or their business. Here are six of those habits we should all try out:

Wake Up Early

One of the most important habits of successful entrepreneurs is waking up early. While this may seem counterintuitive to a lot of people, it’s actually one of the most powerful things you can do as an entrepreneur.

Some benefits include:

• Waking up early allows you to start your day when there are fewer distractions (like emails and texts). This gives you more time for reflection and planning before all the busyness kicks in.
• Many successful people attribute their success to creating new habits that become hardwired into their daily routine, such as waking up early. The key is being consistent with these habits so they become second nature.

Get that Exercise!

When it comes to your health, exercise is the second-best thing you can do for yourself (after eating an apple). It’s that simple.

There are many reasons why entrepreneurs should make time for regular exercise:

• Exercise helps you stay focused and energized throughout the day.
• Exercise burns off stress and anxiety, allowing you to think more clearly while getting things done.
• Exercise makes it easier for your body and mind to relax at night so that sleep comes more easily.
• The combination of increased energy and better sleep allows entrepreneurs who exercise regularly to work faster, smarter and harder than those who don’t!

Learn From Mentors

A mentor can help you to get started, overcome obstacles and get unstuck, inspire you and motivate you.

• A mentor can help you to get started. Mentors are often successful entrepreneurs who have been where you are now and want to share their experiences with others. They’ll know what works, what doesn’t work and how they got over some of the common hurdles that they faced when they first started out.
• A mentor can help you to overcome obstacles on your journey as an entrepreneur. The longer someone has been in business for themselves, the more likely it is that they’ll be able to offer advice on overcoming whatever challenges come along in life – whether it’s a cash flow problem or something else entirely like dealing with stress or illness or juggling work/life balance issues etcetera…
• A mentor will also be able to give advice about overcoming any mental blocks that may have stopped people from becoming successful entrepreneurs (or achieving their goals). They may have a different perspective because they’ve already gone through these things themselves – whereas many people who haven’t yet started businesses will struggle with similar issues later down the track if not earlier than expected!

Entrepreneurs need to learn from their mentors. You may have a mentor or two who has made mistakes along the way and would be willing to share them with you. They can also share their experiences with others, so don’t feel like it’s just about taking advice from someone else.

Raise Your Productivity By Doing Less

You may be looking at this list of six daily habits and thinking, “I’m doing all of these.” Good for you! But if you’re an entrepreneur, there’s a good chance that your to-do list is long enough that it’s causing stress—and with stress comes procrastination.

To combat those feelings and get your productivity back on track, try focusing on what I call “big rocks” instead of trying to do everything at once. The idea behind this concept comes from the book by Stephen Covey called 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. In the book, Covey explains that when people make goals for themselves they tend to focus on every aspect and little details involved in achieving their goal—but as a result, they never actually achieve anything because there are so many things on their plate. Instead of focusing on everything all at once (which would be a very inefficient way to approach goal setting), he suggests prioritizing which tasks are most important right now so that when we sit down again tomorrow we’ll have accomplished something tangible instead of feeling overwhelmed by our responsibilities yet again.

The big rock method works really well not only because it makes it easier to reach our goals but also because it helps us avoid burnout over time—something entrepreneurs tend not only to experience during business hours but also in our personal lives outside work hours too!

Successful entrepreneurs know that it’s all about doing the right things first. We don’t have time to do everything, and we certainly don’t want to spend our precious energy on tasks that are not important. Instead of trying to do everything at the same level, only work on your big rocks. By using this strategy you’ll find that you can reach your goals faster.

Here’s an example of how this technique works: Say you have three goals: Get more clients, finish writing a book and start exercising. The big rocks method says that instead of trying to do everything at the same level, only work on your big rocks. By using this strategy you’ll find that you can reach your goals faster.

As an entrepreneur, you can’t do everything. You have to make choices and prioritize. Identify the “big rocks” in your life, and then keep them at the top of your mind.

Any successful entrepreneur will tell you that they’ve learned to be more productive. And, most importantly, they’d tell you how. They’ll tell you about strategies and habits that are crucial for boosting productivity and getting things done. But the best part of all is that many of these tactics can be easily adopted by using the right tools for the job—like a scheduling software or startup management program.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Use the right tools for the job: When it comes to productivity, nothing beats having great tools at your disposal. If there’s a task or chore that needs doing on a regular basis (like invoicing clients), try using software designed specifically for this purpose rather than something generic like Microsoft Excell. The same applies if there are other aspects of your job where electronic solutions exist—if not already then soon enough! Also, consider investing in equipment like headphones or tablets which have been designed with efficiency in mind rather than just being cheap alternatives; they could save time down the line by making everything from communication with colleagues through delegation and even decision-making easier.
• To be more productive, you need to use the right tools for the job. For example, if you’re a small business owner and you have a lot of appointments to schedule, try using scheduling software like RunSensible. This will help streamline your workload and help you make sure that everyone gets their meeting times in on time.
• Another way entrepreneurs can get more done is by using a startup management software to handle repetitive tasks. These days there are lots of platforms built specifically for entrepreneurs: Basecamp, Teamwork Projects and Slack are just some examples, but there is also RunSensible, the all-in-one option with a ton of features for entrepreneurs and startups. With these tools at your disposal, it’s easier than ever before for an entrepreneur to accomplish plenty without getting bogged down in administrative tasks or losing track of important projects because they’re spread out across multiple different applications.

Use the right tools for the job: If you’re an entrepreneur and you have a lot of appointments to schedule, try using scheduling software like Meeteor or Doodle. This will help streamline your workload and help you make sure that everyone gets their meeting times in on time.

Use a startup management software to manage repetitive tasks: There are lots of platforms built specifically for entrepreneurs—Basecamp, Teamwork Projects and Slack are just examples. With these tools at your disposal, it’s easier than ever before for an entrepreneur to accomplish plenty without getting bogged down in administrative tasks or losing track of important projects because they’re spread out across multiple different applications.

Give Back To Your Community In Some Way

While the world is filled with people who spend a lot of their time and money on themselves, successful entrepreneurs know that giving back is a key part of the equation. They understand that when you help someone else, it can have an incredibly positive impact on your own life.

Not only does giving back make you feel good about yourself, but it also gives other people the opportunity to see your brand in a positive light—and perhaps even become customers in the future! There are many ways that entrepreneurs can give back to their communities: volunteering at charities, writing checks to nonprofit organizations they believe in or even just offering advice through social media channels such as Twitter or Facebook—it’s all up to each individual entrepreneur how they choose to give back.

The truth is that successful entrepreneurs don’t just focus on themselves; they make sure they’re putting effort into helping others too!

Giving back is one of the best ways entrepreneurs can show their community that they care about more than just making a profit. The more you give back, the more successful your business will be because people are likely to support companies who are giving them something in return for their patronage. Successful entrepreneurs understand this and make it part of their daily lives.

Get Enough Sleep

Not that much of a secret-weapon super-formula, this one, but it can be more effective than you think. It’s no secret that sleep is important to your overall health, but what you might not realize is how much it matters in terms of your productivity and mental clarity. Sleep has been shown to help with creativity, memory and cognitive performance.

Even more importantly, sleep is essential for a healthy immune system—which means you’re less likely to get sick when you get enough sleep each night.

Sleep also helps us feel happier! A study from the University of Michigan found that people who slept longer reported feeling better about their lives in general.

Commit to Making Good Habits

Successful entrepreneurs do things that others don’t want to do. They go where others won’t. They think differently, act differently and have a completely different perspective on life than most people. Successful entrepreneurs are also not afraid of failure because they know there is always something you can learn from your mistakes and failures as an entrepreneur. Most importantly, successful entrepreneurs understand the importance of adapting and changing when necessary in order to improve themselves or your business in any area required for success! These are just a few of the habits that successful entrepreneurs have in common, but there are many more. The important thing to remember is that there is no one-size-fits all method for success. What works for one entrepreneur may not work for another and vice versa. You need to find what makes you feel good about yourself and your business, then do more of it!

Conclusion

There you have it! 12 everyday habits that entrepreneurs fall into and how to ditch them. Not only will this help you become better at what you do, but it will also make your life easier by freeing up time and energy so that you can put more into your business.

FAQ

What are the worst habits of entrepreneurs?

First off, entrepreneurs are notorious procrastinators. Combine that with the typical problems of delegating and not knowing which tools to use, and you’ll have the trifecta of entrepreneurs’ bad habits.

Why do entrepreneurs need to delegate and automate?

Entrepreneurs are usually lone wolves and multi-taskers and that works for the early stages, but once you start to grow, you won’t have the time to do everything yourself. Putting a salesperson in charge of sales or using a marketing automation software are examples of how it can be done.

What are the daily habits of successful entrepreneurs?

There are more than a few good habits of successful entrepreneurs, but some of the most common are waking up early, exercising, and keeping their knowledge up-to-date.

Does it really matter if I wake up early?

Well, yes. Although as the opposite of a morning person, I like to believe that it’s enough if you simply avoid oversleeping and sleep just enough to refresh your mind.

Does it make sense for entrepreneurs to invest in management software early on?

Definitely. Experienced entrepreneurs know the importance of saving as much time as possible, using CRM and management software to handle admin tasks.