Know more, help your business grow (the 5 hour plan)

When you hear of Elon Musk, Oprah, and Bill Gates you think one thing: success. But there’s something else they all have in common; they’ve all committed to the five-hour rule. If you want your business to thrive, here’s why committing one hour a day to your education could help you advance in your field.

The one-hour super hack.

If you want to start outsmarting your business competitors, give your brain a boost. Spend just one hour a day studying something which could help your business grow, and ta da! It’s not a miracle solution, but it could set you on the right track.

A common misconception is that in order to gain success you have to spend every hour of the day working. And while it’s easy to find ways to fill your time, it’s not necessary. Instead, work smarter.

Working smarter means only completing tasks you need to do, delegating or delaying the rest, and taking time to improvement yourself. When it comes to self improvement, you can read, study, or practice: whatever it is, commit to it and stick to it.

For many successful people, reading is the selection of choice. As entrepreneurs, you could read books about successful business people, marketing tactics, and guides to your specific industry. Reading widely will help broaden your horizons and equip you with the skills you’ll need to outsmart your competitors.

And you only need to commit to one hour a day!

It’s all about commitment.

If you aren’t a book person, you can always learn. Studies have shown that the most successful people aren’t successful because of their intelligence or talent: they’re successful because of practice. It’s all about spending quality time learning, and continuously trying to better yourself.

This is something called deliberate practice.

And it isn’t always fun.

It’s about stepping outside your comfort zone, accepting feedback, and trying to wrap your head around things you may not have a good understanding of. It’s important to focus on your weak spots. It’s intuitive to avoid them, but ultimately, the things you find difficult are the things you will be able to improve the most in.

For instance, imagine learning an instrument. You can learn just the notes to your favourite song and call it a day, or you can push yourself to gain a more rounded education. By pushing yourself, you’ll be able to not only perform your favourite song with more confidence, but you’ll be able to pick up new songs and grow.

The three buckets.

Although you should aim for an hour of self-improvement a day, you don’t necessarily need to spend the whole hour on the same thing. Many people either split their hour into thirds, or rotate between the following three tactics: read, experiment, meditate.

Reading is clear enough, but experimenting and meditating are important too. Taking time to practice mindfulness can reduce stress, increase focus and help you manage your workload.

Experimenting is also essential. Brainstorming, testing ideas, and trialling new methods are all key parts of product and business development, and they can help you process in new ways too.

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You can customize your five hours however you like, but it’s important to commit to them, establish a routine, and promote your own development. Because, ultimately, your business is you: the more you know, the more it can grow.

Lena Klein