This week marks the 300th episode of the Misfit Entrepreneur!  When I started the podcast, I was excited just to do it for my daughter as a passion project.  I never expected that I'd be sitting here at 300 episodes writing to all of you who support the show in over 150 countries.  I am so grateful for you and want to thank you for all of your support and feedback over the years.  300 episodes is big milestone and it would not be possible without you.  

I am also excited because the 300th episode is a Lesson for Hannah episode where I speak directly to my daughter giving her lessons to help her in life.  I hope you have been able to take a lot from these episodes as well.

As move on to the next 300 episodes, we will continue to find the best entrepreneurs in their fields and share their best wisdom and success habits with you, but we will also be looking at expanding the impact of the show and doing more with you.  So, stay tuned and again, thank you for all of your support!

​Dave

Recently, I went back and started listening to Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill.  Many people have never heard of it and it was actually controversial during Napoleon's time.  

Outwitting the Devil is a book, but I find it is best listened to in audio form because it is a conversation between Napoleon Hill and the devil.  It is fictional, but it teaches so many great lessons for life and success.  It also helps you to understand all of the ways you are tempted in life and to recognize them so you can make better decisions.  

You can find the audio for free in a lot of places, below is the one I have been listening to on YouTube.  As you listen to it, I'll be curious to see what you learn from it, so drop me a comment on this post.  Enjoy!

Over the years, I've collected a lot of great sayings and philosophies to live by.  And I've developed a number of my own.  Years ago, I heard an executive speak to a group of young, hungry entrepreneurs and something they said stuck with me.

They talked about how they would find themselves at times not wanting to go forward or just "tired" of everything they had to do to keep their business going.  They basically described the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship and the daily challenges that come with.  They did a great sharing their experience of how this can wear on an entrepreneur and over-time make them second guess themselves or get to a point where they want to give up.  And usually, this was the point right before they would find larger success.

He talked about how in those moments he would tell himself the same thing over and over.  He told himself, "I will do it just one more day."  And when the next day came and he felt the same pressures, he would tell himself, "I will do it just one more day."  

He said he did this for years and one day he turned around and he had built a massive global company with incredible people doing hundreds of millions of dollars in business - all because he decided to do it just one more day.  

How about you?  When you find yourself at your hardest points or when you feel like you've just had enough or don't want to continue on - try telling yourself, "I'll do it one more day."  Then get up and do it the next day and the next and so on.  You'll be amazed at where you might be just a short while down the road for having adopted this philosophy.  

​11 minutes is not a long time, but it amazing how hard it is stop and focus on something for that amount of time.  But we must do so.
 
Think about if you spent 11 minutes per week or better yet, per day thinking deeply about your success?  What could that mean to you?
 
Or maybe, it is as simple as getting the right message like this short 11 minute video will give you.  Check it out!

Productivity is one of the best ways to increase your success.  The more you can do with the time you have or find ways to leverage resources to help you get more done, the bigger your business can grow.

There are a lot of ways to increase productivity.  Here are 6 simple and easy ways to do so.

Plan Ahead

One of the biggest reasons people lose productivity is they do not plan.  Because they don't have a plan, they have no direction when it comes to what needs done and waste a lot of time.  What would happen if you planned each day ahead of time and wrote down everything you need to do?  Or better yet, planned your week ahead of time?  Start planning and watch the different having a weekly and daily To-do list makes in your ability get things done.

Focus, Don't Multi-Task

Once you start planning for your success, make sure to block times in your plan to focus on each item that needs done.  Studies have proven unequivocally that multi-tasking makes you less productive and effective.  Focus on specific tasks at a time in your plan and you'll get them done faster in and more effectively.

Schedule for Your Best

Another tip is to schedule your most important tasks during times when you are most productive.  For example, if you have high energy and get your best work done in the morning - schedule your most important tasks for the day during that time.  Schedule less important tasks or tasks that require less thinking outside of these times.

Give Yourself a Break

A lot of people think that continuously working it effective.  After all, you are putting in a lot of back to back hours, right?  Wrong.  The be more effective, you must build in breaks so that you can recharge and give your mind a rest.  These can be 15-20 minutes a few times during the day.  During these times do something non-work related.  Take a walk.  Get some fresh air.  Throw the ball for you dog.  Whatever you choose is fine, just keep work out of it.

Ask for Help

This one is hard for people.  If you find yourself spending too much time on something or having trouble figuring something out - ask for help.  Don't keep wasting time on it when you know you need to get help from somewhere.  Ask someone you know who can help you get the result you desire faster and go to work.

Take Care of Yourself

​It is hard to be most productive and perform at your best if you are not taking care of yourself.  Make sure to get good rest and sleep each night.  Eat healthy.  Get exercise each day.  

Follow these 6 simple tips and you will find yourself much more productive in all areas of your life.