Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly
You’re starting a new business or embarking on a freelancing career. No matter where you are, you’re a woman in the global workforce and your business. Sometimes telecommute or remote work makes you lazier than you anticipated. There are days when you’re not focused on your goals. The following six tips will teach you how to be more productive, so you can boost productivity levels, increase your workload, and follow-through with those important tasks.
Find Out How You’re Wasting Time
Before you do any work, you need to figure out how and where you’re wasting most of your time. Take an hour each week to record how much time you spend doing everything throughout the week. Use a mobile app such as Rescue Time, which records how much time you spend on social media channels and other apps. If your work doesn’t always require a computer, then look at the clock and record each task, e-mail, phone call, and break takes.
With this information written down, you can find out where you’re wasting most of your time. Do you get into an afternoon slump? Do you spend too long scrolling through social media? Do you take too long responding to e-mails? Do your business meetings last longer than they should?
No matter which task you need to eliminate, taking a better look at your schedule can help you determine which productivity hacks you can use.
Tackle the First Thing on Your To-Do List
One great productivity hack is to tackle the hardest thing on your to-do list. It’s likely it’s the first thing listed because it’s a high priority task or project. Tackling the most daunting task in the morning can help you feel more productive. Once you get the biggest task out of the way, your other tasks will seem easier in comparison.
Your brain works its best in the morning. By creating a schedule to knock out your hardest task at the beginning of the day, you can take advantage of your peak mentality and productivity levels.
Work With Your Brain
This may seem like a no brainer, but it’s important to work with your brain. It’s likely that you’re new to the world of entrepreneurship. You probably still have that employee mindset. Which kind of work sparks your creativity? Which makes you the most alert or focused?
Carve time in your schedule where you can focus on these tasks and projects. This is a great productivity hack for women who work from home, as well as creatives whose work doesn’t come easily to them. This is also great for those who own an online business who want to achieve customer success. Once you’ve figured out your schedule and to-do list, prioritize your tasks during these open windows.
Take Regular Breaks
If you stay at your desk all day long, then it’s important to take regular breaks. Anytime you catch yourself staring out the window is a good time for a nature walk. That 10 minutes spent on people watching could be spent on taking a nice walk, which improves creativity. Don’t be afraid to take a break every 15- to 30-minutes, especially if you’re feeling uninspired or tired. A small break can provide you with the rest you need to shift your focus and tackle the rest of your to-do list.
Remove Distractions
Distractions are the biggest enemy to your productivity levels. To make the most out of your workday, remove whatever is distracting you from being productive. Maybe it’s your work environment. Is the lighting too dark or too bright? Is the sound around you too noisy and distracting?
Relocate to another area or space can make for an effective work environment. The key to this productivity hack is to determine which distractions are messing with your productivity and then finding a solution.
Establish Clear Boundaries
Which are the most important tasks that you need to get done? Whatever you need to do, focus all of your time and energy on it. Your greatest commodity is time, according to billionaire Warren Buffett. The art of establishing clear boundaries for yourself involves is learning how to say “no” and making time for yourself and your work.
There are many productivity hacks out there that can help female entrepreneurs how to be more productive. You’ll notice that most of these hacks are easy to implement and will lead to customer success and major payoffs. You’ll notice you’re more productive, which makes it easier to achieve your goals.
Author Bio: Douglas Pitassi is a freelance writer and small business blogger.
PHOTO REF: Photo by Eugene Shelestov from Pexels
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