Running your own business usually means that you’re strapped for time!
Even if you had more hours in a day, that probably still wouldn’t do the trick. The truth is that it’s not about the number of hours in your day but how you’re spending them.
With the average person working at 50 percent of capacity, it’s obvious that there’s room for improvement when it comes to time management and productivity skills.
So the question is, are you spending your time effectively and in a way that minimizes your feelings of overwhelm?
There are many productivity strategies you can use to improve your work habits. But if you're not sure where to start, I've got you!
These three productivity secrets will show you how to accomplish more in your busy day. Don’t let simplicity fool you! Less is more when it comes to increasing your effectiveness.
3 Productivity Secrets for Business Owners
1) Do Less
Overfilling your planner with action items isn’t how to increase your productivity. That’s a recipe for disaster! You don’t want to set yourself up for failure.
Although it sounds counterintuitive, doing less is actually my productivity secret to achieving more.
Focus on just a few tasks a day. In fact, one task may consume your allotted time for a given day—and that’s okay.
You’re more likely to start and finish projects if you’re not over-committing to unrealistic goals. Shed the tasks that are marginally important. Devote your time to the most significant duties that have the biggest impact.
And plan! Planning keeps you proactive rather than reactive when it comes to your daily activities.
Society has ingrained in us that being “busy” equates with high productivity. That’s a myth. Having a shorter list of very important tasks is what improves your productivity and your ability to accomplish more.
Society has ingrained in us that being “busy” equates with high productivity. That’s a myth. Having a shorter list of very important tasks is what improves your productivity and your ability to accomplish more.Click To Tweet2) Prioritize Self-Care
You can't be productive if you don't feel your best. Yet, the first item to fall off the to-do list is always the one that focuses on your self-care.
This productivity secret for business owners will show you that without your physical, emotional, and mental well-being, you’ll jeopardize achieving your goals. In fact, neglecting yourself to make time for other tasks creates more stress and makes it more difficult to perform your responsibilities.
Change your perception of self-care. It isn’t selfish. On the contrary, taking care of yourself is priority number one. It’s a requirement. After all, you are integral to running your business and supporting those around you. Without being present and healthy, success for you and for others will be difficult to achieve.
Change your perception of self-care. It isn’t selfish. On the contrary, taking care of yourself is priority number one. It’s a requirement.Click To TweetSet boundaries, take breaks throughout the day, and plan your self-care into your schedule. Get enough sleep and reduce your time on social media.
Remember, too, that self-care isn’t meant to be a burden. Avoid striving to have a perfectly balanced life. Instead, think of doing things for yourself as rewards and choose what makes sense to you, not what others view as important.
Your interpretation is what counts with self-care. If you perceive your time focused on yourself as inconvenient, then it defeats the purpose. Calling a friend, taking a walk, or even asking for help are ways to take care of yourself.
In other words, you don’t need to make a long-term commitment to any specific effort, like joining a gym or eating five vegetables every day. Self-care is what you make of it and what you get out of it. You get to decide how to best take care of you!
3) Delegate to Others
You run your business, but that doesn't mean the burden of doing everything rests on your shoulders. Leading effectively requires delegation—in your business and personal life.
Ask family members to help with cleaning, cooking, laundry. Everyone in the household contributes to the mess—and everyone should help tidy up. Plus, chores help kids (and partners!) learn responsibility, teamwork, and cooperation.
In your business, focus on what you do best and what tasks have the biggest impact on your profitability.
Make a list of your tasks and separate them into three groups:
- The most impactful tasks for which you’re uniquely qualified or gifted.
- The tasks someone else can do better, faster, and cheaper.
- Those tasks that aren’t necessary and that you can live without.
Eliminate any tasks that aren’t absolutely necessary and outsource the tasks that someone else can do.
Dedicate your energy to the tasks in group 1 to boost your productivity and provide the greatest benefits to your business.
For the Best Results, Combine these Productivity Secrets for Business Owners
There’s no magic involved when it comes to getting more done in less time. Leveraging your time to work more efficiently and effectively takes practice and patience.
Incorporating all three of these productivity secrets into your routine will result in better time management.
It may sound contradictory, but you accomplish the most by doing less, which gives you more time. Instead of trying to do it all, prioritize. Do less overall while you focus on the more important tasks that only you can do.
Delegate and dump the things that aren't moving you forward…period. This is true in your work life and at home as well.
And don’t sacrifice your self-care. Forfeiting the things in life that feed your physical and mental fortitude only diminish your productivity and happiness. Start with mindset shifts and making small changes that positively affect your quality of life.
And don’t sacrifice your self-care. Forfeiting the things in life that feed your physical and mental fortitude only diminish your productivity and happinessClick To TweetUpdated October 11, 2021
