Your Business 'To-Don't' List
A to don’t list is as important as to-do list!
Don’t conform to what everyone else does or how they do it. Do what is right for you and your business – don’t be a me-too business. Businesses that copy usually struggle to fulfil their potential so do it your way.
Don’t wait for the perfect time – there is no perfect time. Perfection, in my view is impossible to achieve in business. Particularly of you want to grow and develop a business.
Do it when it feels right for you, and you are prepared for whatever it is and what it may bring.
Don’t be carried away by the urgency of things and be pressured to give attention to the wrong things. Think of the impact on a bigger scale and in the long term if your attention is too divided.
Don’t try to hold on to everything. Not everything that worked before will necessarily work now. Be open to change. Be observant and take note if something doesn’t work anymore. Embrace ‘newness.’
Don’t judge before you have tried to understand something that is being presented to you. It’s easy to immediately jump to a conclusion based on what you already know. Face new ideas, conflicting opinions and challenging people with an open mind.
Don’t let your emotions get the better of you in very trying situations. Strength of character is not demonstrated by your ability to scare people or make a scene. If you give in to emotional outbursts when under pressure, even if you have an excuse, it will simply come back to haunt you and you will regret it.
Relationships, emotions and negative actions
Don’t let your pet irks get in the way of your relationships. Whatever your annoyance be it grammar, cleanliness, standard operating procedures and no matter how much you are required to follow these to the letter, they should not be a reason to turn a working relationship sour or create conflict. There is always a good way to say things. There is always a better way to put it. There are also times when you can let go of the less important obsessions for the greater good.
Don’t be too nice. That can give others a reason to continually ask for more. If you are naturally nice all the time, you may have to tone it down and give yourself some protection. Set your boundaries. Learn to say no, particularly when enough is enough.
Don't dwell on your mistakes
Don’t fret over your mistakes. It is natural to feel guilty for our mistakes. Whether small or big, many of us cannot let go of the thought: “What if only…?” Let go! For small things, forgive yourself and move on otherwise it will colour your every interaction moving forward. For big mistakes, reflect on what went wrong, talk it out to a trusted confidant and learn from the experience.
Don’t deny your emotions. Be grounded with your feelings. Listen to them. There will be times when you need to reflect on how to harmonize your heart and mind. If you feel a negative emotion, acknowledge it, feel it and find ways to express it appropriately it will help you move on with a reasonable action.
Don’t let the negative actions of others shape your decision making. You are not responsible for how others conduct themselves. You may need to challenge them and their behaviour but don’t hold it as your problem.
Celebrate your wins!
Don’t spend too much time on your to-do list. When you do this every day, you cannot spend more time on it than you have to. There is no general rule on how much time to spend on your list, but looking at it for more than 15 minutes is just a waste of time.
Don’t forget to celebrate and mark significant milestones and positive outcomes. It is all too easy to reflect on the negative to learn from it but also take the time to get underneath the good stuff too! For more business advice, finance and funding services, and more information about our innovative training hub, please don't hesitate to get in touch with the team hear at SBA. We'd love to chat!
Posted on May 2nd 2022
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