“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” And I agree with Tim Ferriss on that.
Productivity is a term that probably sounds very familiar to you. These past years it has become super popular… We’re always searching for the perfect ways to be more productive and sometimes you won’t see the wood for the trees anymore. So let me help you with 8 productivity tips!
If you’re a fan of my blogs, you know that most of the time I start them with some good news. Surprise surprise (uhhh, no sarcasm here…), today is not different! I created a free download about productivity for you. Download and print the PDF and keep it close to you while reading this blog. Now we can start properly, shall we?
1. Set your targets
This is the first tip I got for you! Every morning I take time to determine my goals for the day. But I do not only look at my goals daily, I also create 3 big goals per quarter. So, I determine the smaller goals that lead to the bigger ones. By setting the quarterly goals, I really gain some confidence and they motivate me to accomplish the little tasks each day. The third tip will digress more on this.
2. Create a morning routine
Plan some time in the morning to sit down with yourself to journal and for instance think about the things you’re grateful for. You can also practice some self-love. I created a little ‘love basket’ in which I collect exercises, activities and certain aspects in my life that I absolutely adore. This makes me realize what things give me the most energy and love. The notes in the basket are convenient to look at when I’m having ‘off’ moments.
And after this lovely time with myself, I schedule my day ahead in the morning, as I said earlier. Like this, I created a little morning routine for myself.
3. Plan towards your targets
This tip is hinged on the first one. When I’m planning my days and weeks ahead, I always lay the quarterly goals next to it. What do I need to do to meet my targets?
At the end of every week, I look back at my planning and what I effectively accomplished. I also look at what could have gone better so I can work on that next week.
An important aspect I want to stress here is that it’s so important to be proud of your accomplishments. Give yourself the credits and boost your self-confidence! And yes, also be proud of the days you had less energy and motivation. Don’t forget that!
4. Limit the number of meetings
I tended to have a lot of meetings all the time. Right now, I’m only doing the ones that are hyper focused. I keep track of a checklist with all the points that need to be discussed. At the end of each meeting, I go through it and make sure everything is taken care of. This helps with having a meeting that is productive and utilized to its maximum. Of course, we can talk about personal stuff but we need to keep an eye on the checklist and make sure everything will be discussed.
5. Eliminate unnecessary processes
With this tip I mean that for example, stop reading your emails every. single. time. they come in. I know it’s super exciting to check if those are new orders but it’s more productive if you plan just one moment in the day to read your emails. Sometimes it’s helpful to turn off notifications and fully focus on the tasks you need to do.
6. Automate some processes
To save some time, use programs that automate some significant processes in your business. For instance, my clients enrollment is completely automated and I’m using this app called Zapier. It really made a lot of technical tasks I needed to accomplish easier.
7. Make use of subcontracts
When you’re busy and new clients are approaching you, it’s difficult to reject them. And I have some good news for you, it’s not always necessary to do that. What you can do is the following: search for some people who can do the work for you under a subcontract/as a freelancer. The clients will appreciate the effort you put in still helping them. Of course you can inform them about the freelance work that helped you in doing so.
8. Be clear in your communication towards the team
This one is pretty straightforward. Be clear to your team about what your goals are and what everybody’s job is to help accomplish them. Miscommunication and uncertainty will counteract productivity. So let’s avoid that, don’t you think?
The quote of the day is one of Kim Kardashian. “If you put that effort in, you’ll get what you want”. I don’t think I need to add more to that saying…Let me end with inviting you to my Big Business Mastermind. Do you want to create your ideal business and need some help for instance with being more productive? Give me your hand darling and I’ll lead the way!
