Business Principles Which Can Help to Improve Personal Life
The business world is full of all sorts of smart tips, strategies, outlooks, and approaches that are designed to optimize productivity, to keep things moving along smoothly, and to reduce inefficiency and burnout.
On the other hand, many of the principles that people turn to in order to improve their personal lives are quite different from those principles that are advocated in professional circles. Things like starting a yoga course, or keeping a gratitude journal, for example.
There are definitely areas where business principles should not bleed over into personal life – but there are also plenty of areas where certain business principles might help to improve your personal life if properly carried over and applied. Here are a handful of good business principles that might help to improve your personal life.
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Prepare in advance, and build in redundancies where appropriate
In many successful businesses, it’s taken as a given that mechanisms and solutions should be planned and prepared well in advance, in order to account for any potential setback that might affect the company.
In line with that, certain redundancies are often – although not always – built-in
These principles can go a long way in your personal life. Whenever you are planning a holiday, make a point to prepare in advance, and to cover as many bases as possible. Think of a contingency plan that you can follow if your initial vacation plans fall through. Don’t let yourself be surprised too often by sudden unfortunate developments.
One everyday way of applying this principle could be to purchase things like commercial food blenders and other bits of kitchen equipment that make batch cooking easy to manage. Then, set aside a day or two each week for preparing all the rest of your meals for that week, in advance. This is especially useful for people who are seeking to pursue certain health and fitness goals.
Identify and focus on your core activities in any given endeavor
Every professional, in every business setting, has what is known as “core competencies” – areas where they excel, and where their actions will carry the greatest weight. On a related note, the Pareto principle argues that, in any endeavor, approximately 80% of the results will come from 20% of the actions.
In your own life, make a point of identifying and focusing on your core activities in any given context. This can help to free up time and energy, while also reducing stress, and helping to make you more effective at whatever it is you’re doing.
Maintain honesty and accountability – with yourself, as well as with others
Although there are certain high-profile stories out there of businesses acting very unethically and operating in a completely underhanded way, a more general rule is that honesty and accountability are highly prized in a professional context, and inspire trust and confidence in employees and customers alike.
In your own life, maintain honesty and accountability with yourself and with others. Telling “white lies” may seem innocuous, but it can prevent you from properly noticing and addressing negative trends in your own life, and it can subtly undermine your relationships with others and cause assorted complications.
