Last blog, we talked about finding time and being a bit more disciplined with your Amazon business…
Today, I want to go deeper into the weeds with another day killer that can single-handedly kill anyone’s business.
And that little monster is probably sitting in your hand or right next to you as we speak…
Yep, I’m talking about your phone.
You sit down because you have work to do, and then… ping
Just a quick check of Instagram…
Oh, Jenny is pregnant with her 3rd baby!?
Man, Greg really has gotten fat.
Crap, that looks delicious…I’m hungry.
Before you know it, an hour’s gone, and you’ve made zero progress with your day.
This is something that you may be aware of, if that is you, then this is your reminder to stay aware of this problem.
If this is something you don’t think is a problem, then I want to convince you this is most likely a problem…
ESPECIALLY, if you feel like there isn’t enough time in a day to start and grow your business.
All you have to do is go into your settings, then into your screen time, and see how much time you’ve really wasted today on your phone.
I’ll wait while you do that…
…
Let me guess?
That time is probably between 2-4 hours.
That is 2-4 hours of time per day you could have been working on your Amazon business.
Which is more than enough to make this business thrive.
So, what can we do about it?
- Embrace “Do Not Disturb” mode: Use it during your dedicated work time.
- Try app blockers: Tools like Opal or the News Feed Eradicator Apps can be game-changers. (Opal is for mobile and desktop and is paid. News Feed is free for desktop. There are tons more out there that are similar)
- Create physical distance: Keep your phone turned off in another room while you work.
- Schedule check-ins: Give yourself specific times to check social media or use it as a reward if you get a task done, rather than doing it randomly.
- Practice mindfulness: Notice the urge to check your phone without acting on it. Meditation is how you get better at this, as you are literally practicing noticing your thoughts and gently coming back to focus.
- Turn on Black and White mode: All the pretty and bright colors that our phones and apps put in to give us a bit more dopamine are totally naturalized with this setting. Making your phone a bit boring, allowing you to put it down quicker. This one is my personal favorite.
Ultimately, if you just take 1 thing away from this, I hope it is awareness of how distracting your phone and social media can be.
Just notice next time it sucks you in without you even realizing, that is usually when I am reminded that I need to be more disciplined and have rules around my phone.
This is almost impossible to be perfect on unless you just throw away your phone…
So don’t beat yourself up if you fail from time to time, and treat this more as a management task, than a removal task.