• Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

How to use a checklist to focus your entrepreneurial efforts

By Becky McCray

Success is a few simple disciplines practiced every day, according to Jim Rohn, THE business philosopher.

Let me explain by giving you my definitions of failure and success. Here it is: Failure is a few Errors in judgment repeated everyday. … Now, here is my definition of success: A few simple Disciplines practiced every day. Do you see the distinction? A few disciplines…

You can see how this relates to an entrepreneur. Practice improving customer service daily, or let it slide, day after day. Practice keeping your books daily, or let it slide, day after day.

The number one tool to help you practice those disciplines? The humble checklist. David explains this well in Checklists for a Successful Life, at Money Under 30. He tells the story of how pilot checklists were created, and then explains the importance of each item on a checklist.

More importantly, it is a glaring reminder not to willfully neglect it.

How often do you neglect things you should do? Going to the gym, getting the car tuned-up, or taking steps to improve your finances? Every week? Every day? I know I do.

We don’t want to repeat those errors in judgment everyday. We want to succeed. Here’s the action for you to take.

Develop your checklist

Peter has a personal success checklist with 24 daily habits, at I Will Change Your Life.

Doing something everyday is such a powerful way to form a habit that I thought I would make a list of 24 habits that are worth doing on a daily basis (one for each hour of the day). Note: I have divided these into morning, day and night although some could obviously be under different headings.

Your checklist doesn’t need to be this long, especially not at first. Start with a few. In your small business, the first items might include:

  • Create a daily to-do list.
  • Call an existing client.
  • Write in your business blog.
  • Produce a billable product.

Think of five high-value things you could do daily in your business, that would have great benefits, but that you currently tend to let slide. Does this remind you of Stephen Covey and The Seven Habits of Highly Effectively People? These are Quadrant II, important but not urgent, actions. Using a daily checklist will help focus your attention on those key actions.

So create your daily checklist, starting with just five items. Post it where you work most often, or where you sit down to plan or review your day. If you like checking things off, make copies, and check off each item, each day. Imagine the satisfaction! You can use a related tool, the Printable CEO ™, which I mentioned before (Focus on Your IPA’s: Income Producing Activities).

Finally, share your commitment. Let us know what is on your checklist!

New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates.

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • Move Your Money and Bank Local - March 22, 2023
  • Using a building as a warehouse or storage in a small town? Put up a sign - March 13, 2023
  • How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores - February 19, 2023
  • Check your small business website for outdated pandemic changes, missing info - January 31, 2023
  • Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors - January 15, 2023
  • 2023 trends for rural and small town businesses - December 26, 2022
  • Local reviews on Google Maps drive enduring value - December 17, 2022
  • Extra agritourism revenue from camping, cabins and RVs with HipCamp - December 12, 2022
  • Harvest Hosts attract vanlifers and RV tourists, Boondockers Welcome - December 2, 2022
  • Holiday 2022 marketing: Tell your founding story - December 1, 2022

June 8, 2007 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, failure, planning, success Tagged With: service businesses

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Shop Local

Buy local buttonReady to set up a shop local campaign in your small town? You'll need a guide who understands how we're different and what really works: Shop Local Campaigns for Small Towns.

Best of Small Biz Survival

What is holding us back? Why does every project take so long in small towns?

How any business can be part of downtown events by going mobile

Concert-goers talking and enjoying the evening in downtown Webster City, Iowa.

Why do people say there’s nothing to do here then not come to our concerts?

Retailers: Fill all empty space, floor to ceiling

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2023 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in