Being an entrepreneur is not easy. You will be faced with endless challenges, duties and responsibilities. It can be a lot to handle, and there are only so many hours in a day. The most successful entrepreneurs are often the ones that find out how to hack their productivity, in an effort to get the most out of each 24-hour day.
There are several little things you can easily implement into your daily routine that can free up time, allowing you to focus that time on more important parts of your business.
Let’s dive into five examples that, if implemented, will give you more time each day to allocate to the most important aspects of your business, according to The Shapiro Law Group
1. Start Your Day Earlier
We often hear people preaching about how waking up early in the morning is the best thing they ever did, and for good reason. The early morning hours are often less hectic and free from distractions.
If you start your day a few hours earlier, you can often get more accomplished in that window of time than you can throughout a traditional work-day. Why? Because you are more productive and focused due to having less distractions.
2. Learn to Delegate Certain Tasks
Think of how much time you waste every day doing little tasks and errands. Now, think of how much more time you would have if you delegated those tasks to other employees or an assistant?
By outsourcing certain tasks and responsibilities, you free up your time, allowing you to work on the things that will contribute more to growth and business expansion. We often get wrapped up thinking we can do it all. The sooner you realize this is not true, the more productive you will become.
3. Make Writing To-Do Lists a Daily Habit
According to the Law Offices of Gary H Smith, P.C. you will be more productive if you have a plan and the best way to prepare for the next day is to write out a to-do list every night. This simple little tip will not only prepare you, but it will also get you thinking ahead, which leads to better planning.
Carve out 15 minutes of time at the end of your day to write out your list, and leave it on your desk so it’s the first thing you see when you start the day. You could also write it on a white board if that helps.
4. Leverage Apps & Technology
We have so much technology available to us, so take full advantage of it. From calendar and scheduling apps, to communication technology like video chat, do little things to help save your time. Could a meeting be done over a video call rather than travel and sit down, wasting a day? Most of the time, yes.
Also, put your car audio to good use in the morning — listen to podcasts. We all know that constantly learning is key, but the “no time” excuse is used my most. Productivity applies to self education as well.
5. Disconnect from Social Media
This is a big one, and I think we are all guilty of this. Think of how many times you see a notification on your phone — a friend request, a comment on your picture, etc. Now think of how many times you check your phone every day.
Chris Moberg, CEO of Slumber Search, suggests that you simply press “pause” on social media while you are working. “You can easily go into your phone’s settings and disable your notifications — do this for all of your social media apps, like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Then, you will be less tempted to check them during the day.”
Social media can be a great business tool, but it can also be a huge productivity killer. Even though every time you check social media it might be 3-5 minutes, over the course of a day it can eat up hours of time that could be much better used doing more important things.