Читать книгу Starting a Business QuickStart Guide - Ken Colwell PhD MBA - Страница 29

An internet search will provide you with the “scientific” answer to the question “what is the best age at which to start a business?” The answer is 39. I have no idea how that age was arrived at, but the internet believes it, so it must be true!

The fact is, there is no right time. Younger people have less experience in business and in life, but also fewer family and professional obligations holding them back. Older folks have wisdom, networks, and experience, but also may have a lot of other demands on their time. The fact is, there is no “best” time. Any time you choose to jump in is going to lead to a lot of hard work and demands on your time. If you know that you’re passionate about your venture, and your strategic analysis leads you to believe the opportunity is there, go for it!

This doesn’t mean you should throw caution to the wind, quit your job, and hope for the best. Careful planning is in order, and you’re going to have to cover all of your other obligations as well. The topic of work-life balance will be explored in greater detail, but suffice it to say it will be a strain for the foreseeable future. You probably won’t be able to quit your day job right away, which means you’ll have to deal with two jobs. You’ll have to do a lot of juggling to keep all the balls in the air.

A WORD ABOUT MULTITASKING: It is received wisdom these days that we live in a constant state of distraction and that people’s attention spans are getting shorter. I don’t know whether or not this is actually true, but I do know that modern technology is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to productivity. I’m writing this section on my laptop in MS Word. Besides Word, I currently have nine other apps open, including my productivity app. On my two browsers, I have eighteen tabs open to different websites. How does my desk compare to yours? I bet you’re looking at something similar.

The good news is that this unprecedented power frees you to organize your work however you’d like. The bad news is that it gives you ample opportunity to screw around. The choice of how you work best is entirely up to you. Some people prefer to plan out every waking hour extensively. Some like to make lists of tasks to accomplish. Some like to focus on one task at a time. Others like to switch rapidly between tasks. Some of you are morning people, and some like burning the midnight oil. Any regimen that works for you can be effective. The trick is to know when you’re being effective and when you’re wasting time and energy on nonproductive tasks. If you’re not accomplishing what you’re setting out to do during the day, you’re either setting unrealistic expectations or you need a new system.