How to Boost Your Productivity Like an Entrepreneur
When I look at successful entrepreneurs, I often try to pinpoint the overarching commonalities. What makes them tick? What are their habits? What skills do they share that have supported their success? I’ve found that these commonalities have a wide-reaching application. No matter how different your job function may be from theirs, looking at how they approach their work can offer some great insights into how you can approach your own. For almost all professionals, productivity is essential for growth and success. And it’s no surprise that most entrepreneurs demonstrate high levels of productivity in their day-to-day. If you want to take some of that entrepreneurial efficiency and put it to work in your own life, here are a few strategies that I think can be incredibly helpful:
Group Your Tasks
As I mentioned before, productivity has a lot to do with how you approach your work. It’s spotting inefficiencies and fixing them, minimizing wasted time, and maximizing your energy. Grouping your tasks can be a great way to do this. Look at your average day. Which actions are repeated multiple times throughout the day? Maybe checking emails, social-media marketing, and working through the calls on your to-do list. Each time we ask our brains to switch tasks, whether it’s pausing a project to make a call or stopping midway through an email draft to share an article on Facebook, we’re wasting valuable time transitioning from one activity to the next, and we’re interrupting our focus at random, typically making us work slower. When you identify these frequently-repeated tasks, you can then make a system of grouping them. Find the best time (or times) in your day to check email, for example, and consider turning off notifications for the day. If you have five calls you know you need to make, set aside a window of time where you can cross them all of your list. Schedule a regular block of time for social-media marketing so that it doesn’t distract you as you work through other tasks.
Use Breaks Intentionally
This tip is inspired by the Pomodoro Technique which many entrepreneurs recommend. The technique works like this: Identify a task, set a timer (traditionally 25 minutes), work on that one task, then take a short break (around 3-5 minutes). Once you go through that cycle four times, take a longer break (typically 15-30 minutes). Whether or not those exact parameters make sense in your work day, the underlying strategy is what’s really important. By scheduling a few quick breaks, you encourage a high level of concentration without the risk of burning out. Following a set cycle with a longer break gives you something to work towards and a chance to more fully recharge.
Build Momentum
When I think about top entrepreneurs, I think about movement and action. They’re rarely sitting still deliberating what to do next. They plow through their to-do lists with purpose. One strategy I’ve found that supports this is to start small. Though we often hear the advice “eat the frog”, telling us to tackle our most challenging task first, this strategy takes a different approach. Start with the things you can do right now. As you check more and more off your list, you build momentum to tackle those larger, more challenging tasks. Of course, it’s not an excuse to procrastinate. It’s a way to get your day going that builds confidence and motivation to continue along the same path of accomplishment.
Create Motivating Deadlines
We’ve probably all experienced the motivating power of a deadline. Perhaps a client needs something by a specific date, or you have a major presentation to deliver. These external deadlines are useful, but not all tasks come with deadlines. This tip goes beyond simply setting deadlines for yourself. It’s too easy to set a deadline for yourself that has no real significance or consequences if not met and rationalize why you need to extend it. This strategy is two part, it’s scheduling something concrete, and it’s making sure that thing is enjoyable. Maybe you schedule to spend your lunch break catching up with a good friend at a nearby cafe. Establish the plan with your friend, and then utilize that plan to create a deadline for yourself — I need to finish X project before I leave the office for lunch. You have the power of an actual deadline because you’ve committed to something, and your motivation will likely be even higher because this deadline is something you’re genuinely looking forward to.
The best entrepreneurs put to use the strategies that work for them. The key is to test them out, give them a chance, and determine if they help your productivity. Give one or two of these strategies a try, and see if you tackle your to-do list with more ease.