As an entrepreneur, if you are successful in molding yourself according to the circumstances you encounter, you will have mastered the art of self-management. To fully inculcate a habit, you must first understand and embrace it.
This article is part 2 of 4 in our series on Self-Management. It is based on the AMA session we had with Coach Cheenu G Srinivasan as part of the NICE Arohana 1 workshop series. Cheenu is a certified Leadership, Executive, and HappYness Coach with over 15,000 hours of coaching experience.
Cheenu is a NICE Friend and is part of the NICE community.
- Part 1 – What is Self-Management and How Can You Improve it
- Part 2 – What Does it Take to Embrace the Idea of Self-Management
- Part 3 – Self-Management Challenges – How to Stay Focused
- Part 4 – Self-Care is Critical for Self-Management
Embracing the Idea of Self-Management
1. Break your confirmation biases
Leave cognitive dissonances and confirmation biases behind. What this means is to refrain from being dissonant about the actual truth.
- Be open to accepting what is right rather than believing in what you think is right.
This is a key step in practicing self-management.
- Put aside all disbeliefs and prejudices to grasp ideas that are new.
2. Adaptation all the way
Be open and energetic about change. It is imperative to instill these qualities in an entrepreneur. Trusting the process and being curious are useful traits to have.
Adapt to the changes. Try out new things. These help in challenging yourself to come out of the safe zone. Explore all options to decide the most optimum one for you.
3. Failure does not define your personality
A lot of us feel extremely defeated when we encounter unexpected failures. Assessing and learning from them is essential, but don’t let them define you as a person.
As a business professional, failure is a stepping stone to growth and success.
Stop saying, “I am a failure”. Start saying, “I have encountered a failure”.
Be resilient. Accept mistakes without feeling like it is the end of the world.
4. Don’t run after a work-life balance
As an entrepreneur, there is an invisible amount of societal and family pressure that weighs on you. Don’t strive toward work-life balance. Enjoy the imperfections you encounter. Entrepreneurs, and women, in general, are in constant conflict.
- Trust yourself to be great as you are.
- Don’t let yourself be defined by your work.
- Daily self-assessment, where you rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 will put things in perspective. On some days even though you give your best the outcome might not turn out as desired.
Don’t hesitate to give yourself a 10 on days that you have given your best.
5. Journaling for self-management
Maintain a journal. Use it to note down substantial goals, achievements, and moments of thankfulness.
- Goals help remind you of your purpose. Review your daily goals at the end of the day.
- Achievements and thankfulness build confidence and happiness. List down 5 of these every morning.
Keep a tab of your progress as an entrepreneur. This exercise will help develop self-awareness and self-doubt, which are the stepping stones to self-management.
6. Trusting your coach/advisor
Actively look out for mentors or counselors. Professional self-management coaches help give tips and advice on how to tackle it in your day-to-day life. You might not agree with them on a certain day. You could feel the need to disregard their help and try to look at alternative ways of self-management.
Give them a fair chance to avoid prejudice. Everyone has bad days. You might get an entirely fresh perspective on the same topic if you try discussing it on a different day. Our approach to a problem changes based on our emotions and our experiences on that day.
Takeaway
Running a business requires a high amount of dedication, buoyancy, and patience.
As a cultural entrepreneur who is constantly striving to bring your product/service out to the world, hone these skills to help you succeed.
- Practice the skill of adaptation to keep up with the fast-paced world.
- Believe in yourself and in the people who help you overcome your flaws.
- Remember that you don’t have to maintain a balance between your work and personal life.
- Learn how to value each day to be 100% efficient at what you do. Use a journal.
This is the right route to self-management.
Watch the full session here
Continue reading Part 3 – Self-Management Challenges – How to Stay Focused
If you missed reading the prev part, visit Part 1 – What is Self-Management and How Can You Improve it
Image credit: Unsplash
