Constant innovation and improvement is vital if you want to become a successful entrepreneur. Your competition won’t stop trying to beat your product, so you can’t stop improving it. The moment you sit on your laurels is the moment the competition starts beating you. Hence the concern is making yourself as creative and as productive as possible. Here, John Gizowski of La Grange, IL shares a few ways you can supercharge your thought processes and get more done.

1. Distance Yourself from the Problem

As an entrepreneur, you’re up close and personal with any problems the start-up experiences. That seems like an advantage. Your position and experience make you the best person to handle most problems, or at least you think so. The problem is being close to the problem may actually affect your judgment and creativity. Sometimes the best move is to step away from the drawing board and view things from a different angle.

Putting mental and psychological distance between you and the problem increases your creativity. You become less limited by the facts and more open to different ideas. Think about how easy it is to solve other people’s problems. It’s because your mind isn’t locked in to what should be and is open to what could be.

2. Challenge Yourself Mentally

Think of your brain as a muscle. Keep exercising it and it’ll grow strong and creative. A great way to do that is to keep challenging yourself. Solve puzzles of all kinds, play games and try to play them in manner that challenges you. Get out of your mental comfort zone and make your mind more flexible. You could even make up challenges for yourself, such as giving yourself for certain tasks or limiting the use of certain words.

If you’re having trouble thinking of a challenge, just give yourself limitations. Necessity is the mother of invention, and nothing breeds necessity like tying one arm behind your back. You’d be surprised what you come up with when you limit yourself.

3. Mind Your Moods

Your productivity can be affected by your mood. It’s hard to focus on your product and get in the groove when you’re in a bad mood. The good news is there’s no reason to be a slave to your mood. Don’t just work when you’re in the mood – change your mood. When you’re down, do something to pick yourself up. Play a game, get a win somewhere, talk to someone you really like – do whatever it takes to put you in the right mindset and emotional state.

It’s important to remember that you should mind your mood, not be guided by them. Being guided by them means only working when you’re in the right mindset. Minding your mood means figuring out what you’re feeling and doing things to change it so you’re more consistently productive. 

4. Set Deadlines and Consequences

There’s nothing that gets the creative juices flowing faster than a deadline. Deadlines give your tasks a sense of urgency and can help keep you from procrastinating. You should also set consequences for failing to meet the deadline. Even a small consequence such as not getting your favorite sweet today can motivate you to do better.

Make sure that whatever deadlines you set are realistic. No amount of creativity or productivity will save the day if the task cannot realistically be done in the set time frame.

5. Be Mindful of the Present

There’ll be a lot of things on your mind as an entrepreneur, and not all of them will be business related. It can be difficult to stay focused, especially if what you’re working on isn’t that interesting. Your mind can wander, which negatively impacts both your creativity and your productivity. A good way to keep that from happening is to simply ground yourself and be mindful of the moment.

What you are mindful of can be anything. You could even simply mind your breathing. Count the breaths and you’ll soon find your mind calming down. Think of it as a quick meditation break.

If you can stay creative and productive, you’ll do well as an entrepreneur. Naturally, you may have problems applying all these tips at once. The good news is you don’t have to. Pick one and see if it works for you. After making it second nature, you can then add something else to your repertoire. Soon you’ll have a set of habits you can use to make yourself a better entrepreneur. 

About: As an engineer and project manager, John Gizowski of La Grange, IL has earned recognition and respect among his colleagues for his hands-on approach to meeting or exceeding goals, timely implementation, and return on investment in all of his projects. Beyond the office, he serves as an academic advisor to his alma mater and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.