Everyone has it, that never-ending “to-do” checklist. Certain tasks can be easily handled, while some are major projects that never be finished. The projects are able to move from day to day, week to week, and even from year to year! As we don’t are able to finish the tasks, we feel like we’re getting stuck in our own way and not being able to complete all we’ve set out to accomplish.
However, there’s always enough time, isn’t there. Everyone has the same amount of time during the day, so why is it that certain individuals are more productive than other people? Perhaps these suggestions can help you become more efficient and accomplish more.
1. Select your priorities.
Consider where you are spending the most time. Are all of these actions important, or are you just doing “yes” to activities you might have said “no” also? Personally, I go on numerous networking occasions. 6- 10 times a month, I go to these events. Recently, I was forced to think about how I was spending my time. Not just at events but also during the traveling time between the two. Are all of these events beneficial to me? Did I receive constant new clients or referrals from each? It was a clear no! Therefore, I needed to examine which ones were most beneficial to me and which ones became more social and less business to eliminate a few, creating more productive hours during my workday.
2. Go For Efficiency.
As business owners, we are prone to be able to handle every aspect of our company, from accounting and marketing as well as general paperwork. If you were able to take an extra couple of hours from your daily routine chores, could you manage to achieve more and even earn more money? Probably! This is why it might be the right time to think about hiring an assistant to your bookkeeper or virtual assistant. Someone who charges per time for each task you assign them. Let someone else handle the non-money-making elements of your business so that you are able to focus on expanding your business.
3. Consolidate activities.
If you’re rushing around the city all day long to attend meetings with clients, networking meetings, as well as one-on-one with possible referral partners, and you’re doing it almost every single day, then you won’t be very productive at your job. Instead, you should consider condensing your schedule. Make them sequentially scheduled in the same location or in the same place. It’s okay to invite your guests to stop by or tell them what day you’ll visit their location, so you can only come to them on that day. Schedule one or two days per week with each of these appointments, and make sure you have at least two or three days per week totally free of any commotion to allow you to get to the “to accomplish” list.
4. Be proactive in tackling time-wasters.
Everyone has a tendency to slip into the dark hole of social media and emails. We sign up to Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, and then we’ve lost an hour of our lives! It’s okay to check your social media feeds, but you’ll need to be on top of your social media; you must schedule it into your schedule. Set a timer that limits the time you’re online. Utilize Hootsuite to organize your posts to ensure that you do not have to log in as frequently as you’d like.
5. Be an active learner.
The world is constantly evolving with new technology and methods of doing things which can help you save time and effort on routine tasks, allowing you to have more time to focus on your priority tasks. Always lookout for ways to get back the time you spent in the present and future.
6. Lighten Up.
If you’re having a bad day, Do not beat yourself up for it. Everyone has these days. You can look back at your day to determine what you could have done better. Then try to improve on the next day. And the day after that.