August 8, 2024
Entrepreneurs may struggle with productivity more than other professions. They don’t typically have a boss to keep them in check, coworkers they are working on projects with or specific deadlines to meet. They make their own schedule, choose their own workload and struggle to find a work-life balance with nonspecific work hours and projects they are working on.
Productivity can suffer when you find your personal life mixing with your professional life, from personal phone calls during the work day, unexpected meetings with friends during the work week, family obligations taking up time or the workload being low causing you to think you have more free time than you do. The best thing an entrepreneur is to establish productivity routines into their weekly schedule to keep on track. Here are some strategies that could make a difference.
Focus
When you are growing a business and working as a jack of all trades, it’s hard to stay focused. You need to focus relentlessly on what makes your business grow and forget the rest. If you find the most success with customers through your blog, lessen the focus on social media and keep the focus on the blog where you’ll reach the most customers.
Maybe it’s time for a virtual receptionist
Perhaps your workload is just too much. You’re trying to answer the phones, respond to emails, attend meetings, handle data entry and more all by yourself. Hiring a virtual receptionist might be just what you need to lighten up the workload. You can focus on blogging, meetings, or whatever it is you are needed for most and your virtual receptionist can handle the phones and emails for you. Give them the tasks of scheduling your appointments and customer service needs.
Recharge
Maybe your work is under control but you are feeling burnt out. It may mean you need to recharge more. Give your brain a rest by getting off of the computer and phone many times a day to take a break, get some exercise, get outdoors and practice some relaxation techniques. Make sure you are eating well and sleep enough to feel up to par on a daily basis. Be sure you are taking weekend time to spend with your family, enjoying personal time and doing something unrelated to work.
Scheduling
You may need to work on your schedule a bit better. Have a clear start time and stopping time during the day. Business hours are really important for an entrepreneur who could risk working 24/7 since there’s always more to do and another client to help. Instead, schedule everything and take action when scheduled.
Chunk your time so that you can do recurring tasks all at once like checking all of your emails, making all of your phone calls and running all of your errands in one chunk of time. Having to stop one task to go to another task will take longer than doing repetitive tasks in one chunk of time.
Finally, make sure you aren’t staying busy on tasks that aren’t important. If your business isn’t moving forward or seeing results from something you are working on, don’t continue doing it and wasting precious time. Focus on the tasks that will improve business and keep your customers happy.
Use these tips to stay more productive as an entrepreneur.
