Are you investing in activities that will give you a good return in the future or are you whittling it away on distractions and procrastination which won’t benefit you in any way in the future? Here are steps to boost your productivity and give you time to invest in items that will benefit you in the long term.
Make a to-do list of your tasks and prioritise them
Consider which tasks you need to do daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly and rate the tasks on when they need to be done, and work on the tasks which will bring you closer to your goal. Now that you have your list of tasks and you have prioritised them you can move on to the next step.
Delegate your tasks
There are some tasks that are crucial for you to complete but there are other tasks that can be delegated to other staff members or contractors. You should focus on those tasks which are essential to the successful running of the business and delegate tasks that either you are not good at or that have no direct impact on the success of your business. By delegating tasks to experts in the field, you will be sure to have them done well.
Automate your processes
There are some tasks which take time to do but they don’t add value to your business. By automating repetitive and menial tasks, you will free up the time of your employees to concentrate on doing tasks that add value to your offering. Therefore take time to write out all the processes in your business and see how you can automate them to make the process more efficient for your business.
Use time blocking
While multitasking may be admired, there is more and more research that has become available that highlights why multitasking doesn’t work. Rather than multitasking, try to focus on one task for a set period before moving on to the next task. You should also set a time in your day when you focus on answering emails and checking your social media accounts. By setting time for specific tasks, you free up your mind from moving quickly between tasks and rather give your full attention to what is happening in front of you.
Combine your tech
Nowadays there is an app for everything, but with this comes the task of toggling between each app to get information. Try to use apps that are in the same group or you could use a collaboration tool that brings all your communication apps into one tool.
Take time to rest
Burnout is real and can happen if you don’t take any downtime. Yes, the first few years of a business are crucial but your health is important too. Take time to rest. Give yourself permission to take a full day off per week and take a short break in your day to recalibrate. By having these chances to breathe you will give your brain time to process information and you may get the solution you have been struggling with.
