Daydreaming about being more productive?
You are in luck. You can use directed daydreaming to guide imagery and improve productivity! But till you discover how to harness the power of your untamed mind, use some very practical tips to get more output successfully from yourself and your online business.
What is Productivity Anyway?
Best defined as a measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, resources, or system, etc., in converting inputs into useful outputs.
In simple terms; if you are a productive entrepreneur, you actually achieve more by doing less. That is, you work faster and smarter.
And this is possible by making some simple tweaks in habits and integrating technology into your approach to working. As a business owner or an entrepreneur, improved productivity makes a difference to your success.
What You Can Do
1. Keep yourself in good health
You need to be efficient; not busy. So remind yourself that you have the time and manage your personal energy through conscious food choices, moving for exercise and practicing meditation. This will surprisingly give you more hours in the day when you are active and ready for whatever work demands of you.
You can make use of various apps to help you stay healthy. For instance –
Calm: a meditation app; Sleep Time: a sleep monitoring app; Fitness Buddy: an app for workouts and MyFitnessPal: an app to track what you eat. These are just examples of a wide range of apps freely available for you to take advantage of.
2. Schedule your time
Create a to-do-list and decide tasks you will tackle on priority. Don’t be in a ‘fire-fighting’ mode all the time. For instance, start your working day with a mental recap of where things are, set a specific time of the day to check email, and always have deadlines for your tasks. If you have a sustainable routine, you create a step by step path to predictable success.
3. Learn to use technological tools
Digital to-do-list apps that you can access on your phone will help you list your tasks, organize them in order of priority, set deadlines and even share them with others. Other software you can use to improve work efficiency are – Sendtask; a task management and team collaboration software, Time Doctor: a time tracking software; and Google Drive: a tool that allows you to keep all your communication, documents, scheduling in one place.
4. Avoid all distractions and don’t multitask
Throughout the day if you are pulled by notifications from various platforms etc, then you will not be able to focus on the scheduled task at hand. So turn off notifications for specific periods, use time-blocks based on when you are most productive, unplug and don’t multitask. If you can, delegate some tasks to real people or virtual assistants; keeping a simple structure of accountability in place.
5. Get rid of the unnecessary
Learn how to review tasks and decide their value. Sometimes it is more efficient to delete rather than reschedule something. Be unafraid to shed what is unnecessary and move on. This ties in closely to becoming comfortable with saying ‘No’, and not spreading yourself too thin.
6. Take breaks
Whether it is something simple like a coffee break, following the news, seeing a buddy for lunch, or if you have the time and resources then a short travel; anything that helps refresh you should be woven into your routine. During a physical break, do simple things mindfully and more consciously so that you can get the mental break that you need to operate more efficiently.
7. Remind yourself of why you are doing this and avoid complaining!
It is easy to lose sight of the reason you started on this journey in the first place. bringing your attention to your aim every now and then keeps the joy and energy alive in your work. After all, being an entrepreneur is what you set out to be so it is up to you to make the most of your journey; set detailed, clear goals and be accountable for its success.
8. Reward yourself for jobs well done
The little wins will add up to your overall success so create a system of rewarding effort from the very beginning; even when it the only team member in your team is you. Feel free to share your goals with someone who will make sure you stick to them and surround yourself with smart people.
Cultivating self-discipline or organisational discipline need not be a difficult task. Using technology and a system of rewards can help keep spirits high and drive up productivity tremendously!
