Keep a journal

This article first appeared on June 16, 2011.

The idea of writing a diary or journal possibly isn’t attractive to too many chief executives or entrepreneurs.

In the daily hustle and bustle of business, who has got time for that?

But stopping and reflecting every day to note down the lessons, problems and insights collected in daily business has huge benefits.

Too often entrepreneurs make the same mistakes or fall into the same patterns, simply because they have failed to note the lessons of previous experiences – be it a deal that’s gone wrong, a people management issue handled incorrectly or even something positive.

Committing these to writing every day (or every week) is a great way of reinforcing the lessons.

The journal doesn’t need to be War and Peace – just a few dot points each day that you can review each month will get you on the right track.

Get it done – today!