Distraction or focus for parkour gym owners

Hot take: the average small business owner wastes their workday, spending it in a state of distraction.

They open their inbox, answer staff questions, or chase down the latest creative idea that popped into their head. Before they know it, it's 6 PM and they’re left wondering, “What did I even do today?” Will today be a day of distraction or focus for our dear parkour gym owner?

The truth is, running a gym doesn’t get easier just because you stay busy. In fact, without a plan, busyness becomes the enemy of progress. If you want to actually grow your gym, not just survive the chaos, you need to start your days with intention, structure, and a simple system that keeps your energy focused on the things that matter most.

Here are three practices I personally use that has made a huge difference for me. (I have three gyms, run motion mentors, have a kid I need to pick up from school, and a couple of other daily distractions, so this was vital for me to figure out.)

1. Set Quarterly Objectives Using OKRs

OKRs, Objectives and Key Results, are a strategic framework that helps you define what really matters this quarter. Introduced in the book Measure What Matters by John Doerr, OKRs are used by companies like Google and can just as easily be used by your parkour gym.

Each quarter, you define a few key objectives that will drive progress. Then, you break them down into measurable key results. Instead of spinning your wheels on random tasks, you know exactly where your focus should go.

Example:

• Objective: Increase student retention from 8 months to 15 months. Length of engagement.

• Key Results:

  • Launch new level-up system by [Month] [Day]

  • Host 3 parent-student community events by [Month] [Day]

  • Train staff in follow-up protocols for missed classes by [Month] [Day]

When your days start with a focus on your OKRs, you make consistent progress on the work that truly matters. We help parkour business owners in our program set these each quarter in a dedicated call.

2. Protect Your "Golden Hour"

Chris Cooper’s book The Golden Hour emphasizes carving out one uninterrupted hour per day to work on your business, not in it. This is your daily deep work session. No emails. No distractions. Just pure focus on high-leverage projects.

At Motion Mentors, we recommend gym owners spend this hour on OKR-related tasks. Whether it’s building a new staff onboarding system, drafting an email campaign, or refining your sales funnel, this is your sacred time to make progress.

If you’re not carving out a golden hour, you’re likely stuck in reaction mode, forever fixing, never building. The chief firefighter 🚒🧯🧑‍🚒🔥

3. Pick 2 Non-Negotiables for the Day

Before you do anything else, before you begin actually working, yes even before you open your email inbox, choose some non-negotiable tasks that will move your business forward that you can commit to completing today.

These aren’t errands. These aren’t busy work thinggies. These are proactive, CEO-level actions that support your OKRs and reduce your stress.

Ask yourself:

• What two actions today will help me feel accomplished when I log off?

• What would support long-term growth or solve a recurring problem?

When you consistently complete just two meaningful tasks per day, your gym grows—and so does your confidence.

You Got This

Success comes from working smarter on the right things in the right order at the right times.

As a parkour business owner, you can either drift through your day reacting to whatever shows up… or you can show up with a plan.

Start small:

• Set your OKRs for the next quarter.

• Block off your golden hour.

• Choose two non-negotiables each morning.

You’ll be amazed at how much more control, momentum, and freedom you’ll feel.

And if you’re a parkour business owner who wants help creating a clean plan to grow your gym every day, reach out to us at Motion Mentors. We’ll help you say “yes” to the essentials and “no” to the distractions.

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