If you are familiar with feeling overwhelm in your business, you need to implement these 5 tips to stay productive. Between a constant flow of emails, Voxer messages, client demands and so much more, it’s hard to stay focused and on track. Ultimately this means that we end up working while we should be relaxing or spending time with family and friends.
If you are caught up in this cycle of constantly spinning your wheels and still not feeling like you are getting stuff done, you are probably tired of the constant battle. Commit to trying one or all 5 of the tips to stay productive listed in this blog post. With practice and time, you will discover you are more productive.
Have A Daily Routine
By implementing a daily routine, you will find that you stay productive and get stuff done because you can anticipate what happens next in your day.
Routines don’t have to be rigid. A routine is not like a bus schedule with exact times when a bus should arrive. Routines, rather, are an order of things that are based on a loose schedule. When the flow of your day is predictable, you know what to expect.
Start creating your own routine by waking up at the same time each day. Then have an order of things you do before you leave or sit down to start working. Continue with this same pattern through the rest of your day. Be sure to include a time to take a break for lunch and a time to quit working.
I always get up two hours before I actually sit down to start working on my client’s projects. This may seem like a lot of time, however, it is an ample amount of time to do my daily devotion, catch up with the news while I eat breakfast, and get my kids ready for their day. By having two hours to complete those tasks, I never feel rushed.
Because I have a loose routine, meaning I’m not rigid about what time I start the next thing, I may or may not start working at the same time each day. That’s okay.
The important thing is that you know what happens next in your day, and you have a goal for approximately when you should start.
Also, by having a loose routine, I am able to allow for things that come up unexpectedly. We all know that one day is not the same as the next. That’s life. So my routine allows for me to take care of those things that come up unexpectedly and not worry.
Time Batching
When you do sit down to work, you can stay productive and get stuff done by batching your time. What does this mean? Well, it means that you are setting aside a larger chunk of time to work on one specific project or one client’s work. During that time, you remove all distractions including the notifications on your computer and your phone.
By removing all distractions, you can be laser focused on what is in front of you. Planning to work on one project for a length of time also allows you to really dive deep into what you are working on. This means the quality of work you produce will be better and you’ll get more done.
When I am intentional about batching my time for client’s work, I find that I feel more productive. Who doesn’t love that feeling?
If you do decide to batch your work, you also have to be intentional about not checking email or Facebook. It does require some self restraint. As we know, client work can come at you all day long, but that doesn’t mean you have to respond immediately. Your goal is to focus on what is in front of you and nothing else.
In addition to building systems, setting up software automations is key to staying productive. If you are still doing everything manually, you will be wasting so much time. Today’s software allows for many automations. Two software programs can even be linked with one another. For example, your CRM can send a new client’s name to your email list in your email service provider. Pretty cool, huh!
Set Up Systems And Automations
How are you handling routine tasks in your business? If you find that you are doing the same things over and over, you need to develop a system, document it, and follow that same process each time.
I recently helped a new client hire a virtual assistant. It was a fun process, but it was also exhausting because I was creating the system as we went. So I took copious notes in ClickUp, our project management tool, during the entire process to start to develop a system for her business. She is wanting to grow into an agency, which means that we could be hiring many people in the future. By having a documented system with templates to use, the process will be less arduous next time. Of course, we may find things that we want to change along the way.
Because the software is so innovative, don’t spend hours trying to figure it out. You might get frustrated and give up which means that you’ll end up doing everything manually once again. Instead, pay someone who is knowledgable about the software to help you set up the automations.
Focus On One Thing At A Time
The days of multi-tasking are over! No one can be truly productive and produce quality work while trying to do several things at once. As women, we have claimed pride in being able to multitask to get stuff done. But it’s just not reasonable.
Our brains are powerful, but they were not created to do many things at one time. By trying to complete many tasks at the same time, each task actually takes more time to complete and we produce poor quality work.
So put away all of the distractions and focus on one thing at a time. By doing this, you will produce higher quality work and save time. You’ll also be less likely to forget a step or do something incorrectly.
Take Breaks To Avoid Burnout
We’ve all been there. There’s a deadline looming and we feel like we can’t quit working until the task is complete. Of course, deadlines can’t be ignored. Even in these types of situations, though, one needs to take a break.
Our brains are built to recharge while we rest or sleep. So if we are constantly punching the clock, our brains will never get the refreshment that they need. This means that our brains will be functioning at a lower level. When our brains function at a lower level, we produce low quality work. However, when we take breaks, we will be more refreshed. Only then will we have more ambition to complete what is in front of us.
When you are used to working non-stop, it can be hard to break the habit and take breaks in your day. So if you are someone who is guilty of doing this, schedule breaks into your day. Determine a length of time that you will work. Or schedule times for a break and stick to it. Set a timer and place is somewhere that you will have to get up to turn it off. This gets you out of your seat and on your way to taking that break. Realize that when you take a break, you will be refreshed and tackle the job at hand with more energy.
Implement These 5 Tips To Stay Productive
Of course, we all want to produce high-quality work and still have time to do the fun things in life. By implementing the suggestions above, you will find that your productivity increases and you will get stuff done.
P.S. I do have an affiliate link in this post. This means that if you click on the link and purchase a subscription, I will get a small portion of the cost.
P.S.S. If you would like to read more about project management tools, check out my blog post here.