Let’s not dilly dally here, our schedules are often so full that it can feel like every day we’re starting at the bottom of Mount Everest, climb all day, but never make it to the top to celebrate victory. I want to share these eight quick tips for being more productive, which you can start doing today! These are tips that I use personally or have heard work for other small business owners.
Plan
Make a plan the night before and decide your top 3 priorities for the next day that need to see progress or need to be completed.
White Space
This isn’t just a design element, it’s beneficial for time management too. Build time into your schedule that’s “unclaimed”. This allows your schedule to not be completely messed up if you run into a problem, a task takes longer than planned, or something else unexpected comes up. Let’s be honest, those situations happen every day!
Time block
Divide your day into blocks of time where you focus on certain priorities. Work on similar tasks during these blocks of time. This can make you more productive, because you’re not constantly switching gears.
Set a Timer
Give yourself a certain amount of time to work on a task and set a timer. This pairs well with time blocking. Make completion a race against the clock. A mini-deadline like this can give you a needed boost to “just do it” and work a little faster. Also, if you have repeated tasks, time yourself doing them and try to beat your time.
Rest
That’s right, rest. If you’re exhausted, you’re not going to function at peak productivity. If you find yourself working long hours during the day or into the late night hours, find a day to let yourself get off early or go to bed early. It will refresh you so you can return to work more focused and rejuvenated. Also, take small breaks during the day to step away from your computer and phone. Taking care of yourself is so important to staying productive.
Get Organized
How many times do you find yourself looking for files on your computer, a note you wrote down the other day, or some other piece of information? Keep yourself organized by finding a system that works for you, whether that’s a digital or paper system. You can also create one main list of all that you need to do. From this list, you can prioritize what needs to get done and you also don’t have to copy your list repeatedly.
Schedule
Creating a schedule is like making a budget for your time. It allows you to focus on prioritized tasks during a certain time. Have you ever been worried that something won’t get done on time? Scheduling out time to work on those tasks can give you peace of mind that you have the time you need built into your schedule to get your work done.
Quick Wins
If it takes hours before you can check something off your to-do list, it can be discouraging and create a feeling of defeat early on in the day. So, start your day off by completing a few small or easy tasks. This can give you momentum and help you feel productive earlier in the day. Feeling productive can encourage you during the day to continue pressing on through longer and more difficult tasks.
Do you have a tip for being more productive? Join the conversation on my Facebook and Instagram pages and share your best time-management tip!
—-
Photo Credit: Wildwood Media