Are you finding it hard to stay productive as a busy entrepreneur? You’re not alone. Many people struggle with their time management skills, especially when they are just starting out. Between phone calls, new projects and all the tasks that keep calling out for your attention, it can be tough to balance everything that needs to be done and find the time to do it all.
In this blog post, we will discuss some productivity tips that can help you get more done in less time and become the successful entrepreneur you aspire to be.
These are the six biggest needle movers we have found in terms of productivity tips for entrepreneurs:
- Learn to prioritise
- Schedule everything
- Focus on one task at a time
- Delegate
- Use automation
- Set aside downtime
Learn to Prioritise the Most Important Tasks
One of the most important productivity tips we can give you in terms of increasing your productivity is to learn how to prioritise. The much repeated phrase about ‘working on your business instead of working in your business’ is based on choosing priorities carefully.
All the tips in the rest of this blog post will be easier to implement and have a bigger impact if you first prioritise the most critical tasks. When you are clear about your priorities, you can make better decisions about how to use your time and energy.
There are a few different ways to prioritise. One is to focus on your long term goals and work backwards.
What do you want to achieve in the next five years? What will help you get there? What do you need to do in the short term to move closer to your long term goals?
By answering these questions you can make sure you’re working on the things that will have an impact in the long term.
Another way to prioritise is to separate your to do list into what is important and urgent, what is important but not urgent, what is less important but is urgent and what is neither important nor urgent. This makes it much easier to schedule in the important tasks that will make the most difference to your business, instead of focusing on all the ‘busywork’.
Schedule Everything
Speaking of scheduling, this is also a huge game changer in terms of time management for increasing your productivity. While most people are used to scheduling in meetings and appointments, successful entrepreneurs who make the most of their time know that scheduling in everything on their to do list makes a big difference.
It’s often said that we all overestimate what we can achieve in a day, and underestimate what we can achieve in a year. Scheduling everything in by time blocking solves both problems.
Start by scheduling in the immovable events, usually pitches, meetings or appointments. From there you’ll know exactly how much time you have for everything else.
Next, take your list of priorities and create time blocks for the most important and time critical tasks. Then move on to the less important but still urgent tasks and the important non-urgent tasks.
You’ll probably now find you no longer have time left for the non-urgent unimportant tasks, but this is not a bad thing. These are the sort of tasks you only do when there’s nothing else left to do (which never happens), or when they become urgent or important.
Be realistic about the time you think each task will take. Remember that you will need enough time to get to and from meetings, and you can’t work flat out all day. Time management using time blocking doesn’t work if it’s not achievable. And see our last productivity tip for why you also need to schedule in breaks!
Focus on One Task at a Time
As an entrepreneur, you are constantly pulled in a million different directions. You have to wear many hats and juggle a lot of different balls. It can be tempting to try to do everything at once, but the truth is that you will save time and be much more productive if you stay focused on one specific task at a time.
When you try to do too many things at once, your attention is scattered and you end up doing a sub-par job on all of them. However, when you focus all of your attention on one task at a time you’ll get the job done much more quickly and efficiently.
Focusing on one thing at a time allows you to give your full attention to that task, which results in a higher quality final result. Every time you switch what you do your brain takes quite a few minutes before it can concentrate on the new task, so you are wasting a lot of precious time when you don’t give your full attention to one task for a decent period.
So next time you feel like you are being pulled in too many directions, take a deep breath, eliminate distractions and focus on one thing at a time. You will be surprised at how much more productive you can be.
Delegate
As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you have to do everything yourself. After all, you’re the one in charge, and you can’t afford to delegate important tasks to someone who might not get the job done right.
However, the reality is that delegating judiciously can actually increase productivity. When you delegate tasks to others, you free up your own time to focus on more important things.
Additionally, delegation allows you to take advantage of the skills and knowledge of those around you. If you carefully choose who to delegate tasks to, you can be confident that they will be completed efficiently and effectively.
This applies to those of you who are sole traders too. Delegation isn’t limited to your employees. Any tasks which take up a lot of your time but don’t require your expertise can be outsourced to a VA, who will probably do it quicker and/or better in any case, as they won’t be distracted by hundreds of other tasks at the same time!
Learning to delegate effectively is an important skill for any busy entrepreneurs who want to be more productive.
Use Automation
Automation is a critical part of any business, and as an entrepreneur, you should be taking advantage of every opportunity to automate your work. By automating processes and delegating tasks to technology, you can free up your time to focus on more important priorities.
In addition, automation can help to improve the accuracy, consistency and quality of your work, as well as reduce your stress levels.
There are a number of ways to automate your business, so it’s worthwhile taking some time to explore the options and find the best fit for your needs.
Once you’ve implemented automation into your workflow, you’ll be amazed at how much more productive you can be. So make systems and technology your new best friends, and watch your productivity soar.
Set Aside Downtime
When you’re trying to grow a business it can be tempting to work around the clock in an effort to get ahead and forget about your own personal life altogether. However, studies have shown that setting aside time for leisure activities can actually make you more productive.
When you take breaks, your mind is able to rest and rejuvenate, which makes it better able to focus when you return to work.
In addition, playing sports or engaging in other leisure activities you enjoy can help to reduce stress, which can lead to more efficient decision making.
So if you’re looking to boost your productivity, don’t be afraid to schedule some downtime into your day. Your business will thank you for it in the long run.
We hope you found these entrepreneurs productivity tips useful. If you need help with getting some of your existing tasks done, why not book a discovery call with us right now at My Tech VA to see how we can help you?