Are you a small business owner who is looking for ways to be more productive? If so, you’re in luck! In this blog post, we will discuss some tips that will help you get more done in less time. By following these tips, you will be able to streamline your workflow and increase your efficiency. So without further ado, let’s get started!
Productivity Tips
Focused Tasks
One of the best ways to increase your productivity is to focus on one task at a time. Multi-tasking may seem like an efficient way to get things done, but it can actually lead to decreased productivity. When you try to do too many things at once, your brain becomes overloaded and you are less likely to retain information. So instead of trying to do everything at once, take a deep breath and focus on one thing at a time. You’ll be surprised at how much more productive you will be!
Use Time blocking to allocate chunks of your day to specific tasks. This will help you to focus on each task and avoid getting sidetracked. For example, tackle your email twice a day, assign an hour a week to scheduling all of your social media posts.
Make sure to schedule breaks in between tasks so that you can take a few minutes to relax and rejuvenate.
Set Monthly, Weekly and Daily Goals
Another great way to increase your productivity is to set monthly, weekly and daily goals. This will help you to stay on track and focused on what you need to accomplish.
Keep a simple notebook or download an app and look at them every day. Focus on what it will feel like as you hit each target, it might sound a bit woo woo but it really helps to get your mindset in the right place.
These goals will help you to identify the tasks you need to complete to help reach them.
Make sure to review your goals regularly and adjust them as needed.
Break Down Large Tasks into Smaller Ones
Another great way to increase your productivity is to break down large tasks into smaller ones.
When a task seems overwhelming, it can be helpful to break it down into more manageable pieces. For example, if you need to write a 20-page e-book, start by writing one page per day. Or, if you need to update your pricing, take one product or service at a time.
Breaking down large tasks into smaller ones will help you to stay focused and on track as well as helping to reduce the feelings of overwhelm. Remember, each little piece you complete will help move you closer to your business goals.
Planning Your Day
Once you know what your tasks are, work backwards from the end of the month to see what you need to do each week to achieve your monthly goals.
When you have your weekly tasks, pick one main task to do each day. Do this day by day and only assign one main task and it must be a task that will move your business forwards.
You can then add another 1 or 2 secondary tasks that you know have to be done that day, this could be client work, a meeting you need to prepare for, a weekly admin task etc.
Time Blocking
Block out time over the month to do certain types of tasks.
An example day might look like this:
9 – 11am: most important task
11:15 – 11:45am: email
11:45 – 1pm: Social media posting for the week
1 – 2pm: Lunch and walk
2 – 3pm: second most important task
3 – 4pm: third most important task
4:15 – 4:45pm: email
4:45 – 5:30pm: weekly team update
Some of your tasks might be the same every day – like email. Some might be weekly and others one off tasks.
Batching Tasks
Task batching is the process of identifying similar tasks and doing them in planned baches. By preparing and scheduling for a week at a time you will save yourself lots of time.
Here are some of the types of tasks that are perfect for batching:
- Admin tasks
- Accounts and Book-keeping
- Client/Sales calls
- Social Media Posting
- Writing Content
Plan to Do your most important task first
Start your day by tackling your most important task. This will help you to get the most important things done while you are feeling fresh and energised. Once you have completed your most important task, you can move on to the other items on your to-do list.
Ask yourself what one thing you can do today that will help move you towards your main goal. It can often be the task that you find most difficult or simply dread doing, but the feeling of achievement once you complete it will make the next time feel that bit easier.
These types of tasks will help drive your business forward and are often the most critical.
Set a Timer
If you find yourself getting easily distracted, close down all of your browser tabs, switch off notification on your phone and close your email client.
Try setting a timer for each task. For example, set a timer for 30 minutes and work on your task until the timer goes off. Then, take a short break before setting the timer again, go for a little walk, grab a glass of water or even do some squats or dance around for 5 minutes.
This will help you to stay focused and avoid getting side-tracked.
Take Advantage of Technology
There are many great productivity tools available that can help you to get more done in less time.
For example, there are many great task management apps that can help you to keep track of your to-do list and deadlines.
There are also many great calendar apps that can help you to schedule your time and avoid double-booking yourself.
You can use tools like Calendly and Doodle Poll to plan meetings and negate the need to go back and forth with email.
You could even use a productivity planner to keep track of your activities.
Outsourcing Tasks
If you still find you are overwhelmed then it might be time to look at out-sourcing. Using a Tech VA can help to alleviate those tasks that are difficult, time consuming or that you just don’t want to do yourself.
Write a list of the things that you don’t like doing, find difficult or don’t play to your strengths. It may be that you don’t like creating cava posts for social media, or that you find updating web pages difficult or you just don’t know how to optimise your content, so you attract more traffic.
All of these things can be taken care of by a Tech VA. Find out more here
Productivity is all about finding what works best for you. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Experiment with different productivity tips and find the ones that work best for you. And don’t forget to have some fun along the way!
I hope these tips help you to boost your productivity!