Diary of a Start-Up - Part 3; The Pyjama Brigade

Part 3- The Pyjama Brigade

One of the perceived perks of working from a home based office is that you can work in your PJ's. The disadvantage of working from home is that you can work in your PJ's. From the beginning I knew this was going to be a problem for me. As a self confessed night owl, and a bed lover in general I knew I needed to put some form of accountability in place.

Pj's aside its kinda lonely working from home. No one to complain about the boss to (unless talking about yourself to yourself is permitted), copious coffee overload, and the distraction of daytime television, housework, and friends. On the flipside the coffee is real, the overheads are low, the tax benefits make it worthwhile, and Dr Phil really does have some great life tips.

With all the potential distractions it is no wonder 80% of all small businesses failing in the first 5 years. I knew I had to plan for success put some accountability in to place, and because I qualified, opted to participate in the government assisted small business scheme.

Well...I have never met such a diverse range of people and business ideas in my life. From hippy (or should I say druggie) drum worker (I use the word ‘worker' very lightly) and gothic (read S&M) leather worker, to people in life change developing digital imaging, mobile phones and midwifery ideas. The facilitator (read underpaid miracle worker) is expected to establish in these people something up until now no one has been able to do - a work ethic (governmental handball at its best), as well as provide direction and training for those who are a little more, let's say, ‘with it'.

Allocating a mentor is a part of the built in process to provide motivation, direction and that all important accountability. It hasn't happened yet, so in the meantime, my saving grace has been a to-do list. Someone once told me that you have a more than 50% chance of achieving a goal if you write it down, so I've been writing like crazy into the task bar of MS Outlook. Not a fan of the MS operating systems, it has been an unexpected, and welcome discovery. I am thriving on the feeling of achieving a task, and getting it crossed out on screen (sick I know), but when the task is done, (especially a dreaded but necessary one) it is exhilarating. Once crossed out, the euphoria hits like a drug, (bring on the drums).

Its also great because it doesn't trash the tasks once completed, providing a running list of all your achievements. Surprisingly this feature has proved to be a fabulous motivator. By building this ‘totem pole' of past successes in front of me, I am constantly reminded of what I have achieved already. It's a built in faith building feature. Looking at what I've done establishes the confidence I need to break out of my comfort zone when fear strikes. It encourages me to stretch myself into unknown territories; a self perpetuating tool that is building momentum into my business, and as result revenue. You've got to be happy with that!

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